Heartland Militaria Show Arrives at OKC Fairgrounds June 20-21
Many of us like to see, touch and hold military artifacts – they help us understand conflicts that occurred that we, friends and family members were part of as well as those from decades and centuries ago.
Like a military museum
You can do that at the Heartland Militaria Show at the Oklahoma City Fairground’s pavilion on Father’s Day weekend, June 20-21. It’s like walking into a huge military museum, except the collectables can be bought or swapped with yours. Matt Hindi, a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, hosts the exposition.
Hindi explained, “A militaria collector show…is anything that’s military artifacts in nature. It could be Civil War, it could be Roman, German…So, it could be documents, awards, letters, medals, swords, helmets, firearms, anything and everything that a world military would’ve used in the past or going into the future.” He added, “And it’s also an Old West collector show, so old Colt Single Actions, Winchester rifles, anything that was used in the Old West, as well as Native American artifacts.”
Pricing varies. Hindi said items range from $5 to $25,000. “There’s something for everybody at the show. You don’t have to have a lot of money to buy a military artifact.”
Show times and fees
The Pavilion Center is open on Saturday, June 20, from 9:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Sunday, June 21, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. General admission is $15. Veterans, law enforcement, and firefighters get a $2 discount, so the cost is $13 for them. Children 12 and under are free.
Vendors wanting to rent a table sign up at www.heartlandmilitariashow.com and pay $100 to rent a table for the weekend. Vendor set-up is Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
Hindi expects more than 500 tables to be filled with uniforms, old guns, and documents and 2,000 people or more to attend. “It’s the largest military and Old West show of its kind west of the Mississippi…We have dealers from all over the country as well as the world that are attending this show, as well as the public to come and buy, trade, and sell.”
“Early birds” can start viewing collections on Friday and throughout the weekend by buying a weekend pass for $100. “If they want to be an advanced shopper and they want to get there when the dealers are setting up, they can just come in and buy an early bird pass” Hindi said. Lots of people do that.
Unusual items
Hindi’s speech quickened as he described items that might show up. “You’re thinking you’ve seen everything, and then all of a sudden, you see a World War I hot air balloon basket that was used on the observer lines of the trench warfare in World War I…I’ve seen documents signed by George Washington in the show…Civil War documents and German World War II documents and paratrooper stuff from the D-Day invasion…It’s just incredible what you will see in these shows.”
Other sights
Be on the lookout for Roman, Prussian or Civil War soldiers in uniform. Hindi said, “Sometimes, re-enactors will walk into these military shows. Sometimes they’re dressed like Japanese soldiers or serviceman or World War II, 45th Infantry Division re-enactors.”
And don’t be surprised if you hear other languages. It draws an international crowd; in 2025, Russian, French and Belgium collectors attended. Sometimes military vehicles are on display, like World War II ambulances or motorcycles with side-cars.
The Host
Chief Petty Officer (retired) Matthew Hindi served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for 22 years. He became stationed at Tinker AFB in 1999 and flew with the Strategic Communication Wing One’s (SCWO) E-6B Mercury airplanes. He retired in 2010. He’s a contractor with SCWO.
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story for OK Veteran News Magazine by Lt. Col. Richard Stephens, Jr., USAFR, Ret. website: Rich Travel Niche
