Valley man boasts impressive World War I memorabilia collection

"I just got a copy of the expertise, so that's why it doesn't look old," Shawn Armenta said.

Armenta is a history buff and it's an interest he shared with his father.

"As a child, I was infatuated with aircrafts and World War I biplanes," he said.

That's why Shawn, a former airlines employee, got into collecting history, itself.

"This is the second rising cross," he said.

With a Red Baron display inside his home, Shawn has more than 210 authentic memorabilia items.

"The original case, it's 100 years old," he said.

Of the notorious World War I German fighter pilot, Manfred Von Richthofen.

"He's credited for 80, he could've shot down 100 or more within a two-year span," he said. "He was a terror from 1916 to 1918 until he himself got shot down 21 April of 1918."

Shawn also has autographed photos, worn leather pilot helmets, a signed published book, and even aviation medals.

"You can see the writing on the back," he said.

Shawn says he collected the memorabilia from purchasing the items online.

"The men that had much of this stuff that was picked up in Berlin, Germany 1993, which he's had it in Stratton, Germany until now," he said.

Collecting history became a hobby for Shawn, and it's one he plans to continue while adding to his home display.