Fixed bale, front seam - what have I got?

[cortin]

I very recently aquired this fixed bale, front seam M1.

The condition of the helmet is mostly excellent - cork finish (I believe it's cork) is good pretty much all over in cluding the rim.

Paint is very good although I feel the color a bit light for this WWII helmet.

Chinstraps are in pristine shape which to me means they are probably replacements.

The helmet has a heat stamp number - 732D - near the edge of the brim on the righ.t side,

All I have found online leads me to believe this is a helmet manufactured in 1943.

Can anyone her tell me a bit more about this lid - especially the heat stamp.

I do believe this is a refurb, but a good one.

- Thanks

[ruddersrangers44]

Hi from the pics its not so easy,but would say a repaint/recork and replacement chinstraps too,the shell is a McCord made around sept 43,they changed over sometime in oct 43 to swivel bale version...............however the inside does look original,but again the pics are not the best.

[Harry Davey]

Hi, i agree completely with Jake, here is a heat stamp chart for future reference.

Cheers
Harry

[cortin]

Thanks to members for your replies.

Yep, refurb - that's my guess... either that or by some miracle this shell was never issued and just stored away for some 70+ years. Unlikely.

Now, I paid $85 for this helmet - is it worth that. It is the most I have spent on a helmet in my humble collection.

Sure looks good though.

That chart is great - a good guide that gives a person an "idea" of when a helmet waqs manufactured.

Thanks again!

[ruddersrangers44]

If you can post some pics taken in natural light it would help a lot,if its as already stated then $85 may be a bit too high,however if its a totally original un-issued pot then it would be a cracking buy as this would then be worth anything from $150-$300 depending on who you purchased from.The chart Harry has shown is only a rough guide,and since first published i've never seen a much more up to date version,so everyone still goes by this,the example shown has a heat stamp of 712,according to this chart that places production around nov 1943,however as fixed bales ran up to about the 760 give and take a few but also we know that bales were swopped in oct of 43 then this would have to be made earlier than what the chart suggests?or they continued making fixed while also moving forward with swivel,but that hasn't really ever been discussed that much...............

[relicz]

FWIW - Posting copyrighted material on an open forum is not wise and can be problematic?

[ruddersrangers44]

Good point John however i'm not big on copyright laws so could you enlighten me please,as both my Avator and profile pics came from google so should Admin have asked me to remove them as an infringement of rights may of been made.

[Opex]

Cortin the shell look's to have been repainted in places with a good match of OD 155 matt paint, but either way would be proud to own this one as it is a good example of the M1 from '43.

On a side note the chart whilst very useful is indeed copyrighted and appears in helmets of the ETO by Regis Giard, Frederic Blais, it does state that no part of the publication should be reproduced without the written the consent of the authors or publishers... however that could be said about a large majority of pictures and references downloaded onto this forum...however I found this chart very useful when I purchased the book when dating my M1's in the early day's of collecting

[relicz]

Someone spent the efort to do all the research and publish in a book that is widely available. Using it without permission or acknowledgement is the equivalent of intellectual property theft and can open both the forum and poster to legal liabilities. Basically, if it is yours post it and if someone else's, ask permission.

[Harry Davey]

No idea the chart was from a book, i found it on another post on this forum, which had no description of where it had come from.

here is the link:
M1 helmet