History By George occupies a storefront at 129 West Main Street in downtown Mesa, Arizona, where owners George and Ko Notarpole run a specialty shop built around historical militaria rather than general antiques. The inventory reads like a survey of twentieth century conflict: medals and decorations, swords, bayonets, daggers and other edged weapons, helmets, flags and banners, and uniforms drawn from multiple nations, with particular depth in American, German, Italian, French, and Japanese material from the Civil War through World War II. Alongside the hardware, the shop carries historical documents, photographs, maps, coins, and paper ephemera, much of it the kind of material that serious collectors search for years to complete a set. History By George operates on a buy, sell, and trade basis, meaning the cases turn over as collectors bring in pieces from their own holdings, and the shop actively seeks fresh acquisitions from estates and private collections rather than relying solely on walk-in consignment.
What sets History By George apart from a typical Main Street antique stop is its role in the militaria collecting community itself. The shop organizes the Phoenix Antique Gun and Militaria Show, an annual event held at the Phoenix Shrine Auditorium that draws dealers and collectors from across the region to buy, sell, and compare finds in person. Running a specialty retail counter and a regional show under the same roof gives the Notarpoles a vantage point on the market that a purely online dealer would not have, and it means visitors to the Mesa shop are as likely to get a knowledgeable read on a family heirloom sword or a grandfather’s service medals as they are to find something to add to their own collection.
Visitors researching a specific era or theater of war will find the staff oriented toward that kind of conversation. The shop’s own materials describe WWII era patches, insignia, and uniform pieces as a particular focus, alongside the broader edged weapon and helmet categories that anchor the historical arms side of the business. For anyone settling an estate that includes military medals, foreign service uniforms, antique edged weapons, or wartime paper records, History By George represents a rare Arizona resource, a dealer whose specialty is narrow enough to know the material deeply and broad enough to handle Civil War through WWII pieces from several countries under one roof. Prospective sellers and buyers are encouraged to call rather than use an online contact form, with the shop’s main line and the owner’s personal cell both listed for direct conversation about a piece before making the trip to Main Street.
Because this is a specialty dealer built around a collecting niche, hours can shift around show travel and appraisal appointments, so a quick call ahead is the surest way to confirm the shop is open before a visit to Main Street in Mesa. In short, History By George is a Mesa, Arizona militaria and historical antiques dealer that buys, sells, and trades medals, edged weapons, uniforms, and wartime documents spanning the Civil War through World War II, and also organizes the annual Phoenix Antique Gun and Militaria Show for the wider collector community.
