M40 ss

[Schwerpunkt]

The helmet is an M35 IMO. As I said on GHW , good feeling but I can't be conclusive. This one would need a hands on for me and even then it will be tough with so much of the decal gone.
Lets wait for Doug's opinion.

[DougB]

Hi Richie! (I copied most of my reply from GHW) An interesting one and puzzling at that. I'm wondering what provenance this piece has?

I lean towards this being an M35 as well, the 9th photo where the vent hole shows a rust chip exposing what might be the right edge of the rivet is what has me wondering M35. A simple examination under the liner to see if there are rivets pressed in or not would answer the question.

As for the helmet yes M35 EF double decal SS are virtually nil (as are M40 EF) that I am aware of and the decal has Pocher like qualities but is not a one look decal. There is enough damage to make positive identification impossible via the photos alone. The left side is a party decal but in even worse condition. Both decals have pits and scratches below the decal surface leading me to be cautiously skeptical Richie as for every real relic SS there are a dozen fakes. That coupled with a very rare maker for a double decal SS M35/M40 has me concerned. I appreciate your posting this one and would love an in hand one day!

Again welcome!

Cheers
Doug

PS I just bought my first Soviet helmet!

PPS. Re the police decal vs under party decal theory, all party decals have a creamy white cellulose base as do many fakes. This is largely exposed now coupled with the damage I cannot see any evidence of a police decal and if so the runic decal would have been overtop leaving a party decal where the SS runic decal now is and this would have wound up being a reverse runic helmet and that actually would be the expected configuration of this helmet if a former police.

This is no question a party decal. But is it real? I am also concerned the extent of the damage on the party decal vs the runic decal. The party decal looks severely scrubbed. Most older double decal SS fakes fall apart in one second with the party shield being graphically incorrect. The runic decal has one huge red flag visible, the runes appear to sit above the break.

So enough red flags for me to be cautiously skeptical Richie, an in hand would tell the tale in short order however!

[KradSpam]

I must be losing my mind then, sorry for the unnecessary tangent on the police decal chaps

[RichieC]

Hello Guys.

Many, many thanks too all of you for the thoughts, opinions, pointers, and etc that you took the time to post for me.

Provenance on how I acquired this is as follows: I used to own a large antique shop here in the Northeastern US. Besides from being the shop owner collecting rents from tenant dealers, I dabbled in it myself to fill un-rented spaces. I used to check online newspapers for estate sales, moving sales, and etc. I got a hold of one guy in Illinois (I believe) who was selling the contents of his parents home. He said there was a lot of vintage furniture and lighting - right up my alley. He sent me some photos, but it was not of the quantity nor quality to make the long trip.

The father had passed away, and they were taking the mother to live with them, if I remember correctly. I asked if there was any military items ( I ALWAYS asked as I have scored a good amount of stuff over the twenty years I have been at it) and he said a few "jackets", "hats", "pants" and a few medals that belonged to his deceased father that he did not want to part with. However, he did say that he had a German helmet that was in "bad shape" as he and his brothers played army with it as children and it was used, abused, left out in the rain etc. It was all but forgotten about until they cleaned out the garage. I was informed that the father did not bring it home from Europe but it was displayed with some other items at a local military academy where the father taught for a few years. The academy closed, and the father was given the helmet.

The above is what I was told. Whether or not it is a fairy tale, only he knows. I believed it...

In any case, an acquaintance suggested to him that it may be "worth money" and that it should be sold on ebay. I said go ahead and sell it there, as I figured it was rubbish. I used to get that all the time - I refer to it as "ANTIQUES ROADSHOW SYNDROME". However, I did ask for the listing and viewed it shortly after it was posted. As soon as I saw it, I kind of liked it, even with lousy images. I have to say I was attracted to the salty look - and the wire especially. I then wrote to the owner again and he told me within the first few hours of the auction he had at least a dozen people asking him to remove the listing from ebay and take their offer. I thought to myself that I have nothing to lose, so I myself made an offer. By the next day, the listing was gone and I received an email from the owner telling me that they would accept my offer. I could have the helmet if I could pay with cash or a check. So, I sent a check that day, and received the helmet that week. Thats it...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Doug, I really do not visit the shows and meets, as there is little to no Soviet stuff at them. I'd love to show you, and anybody else for that matter, the helmet so we all could learn a bit more about it and the reason that it seems like an oddball. I am quite curious about the "relic" conjecture. Perhaps if you ever are in the northern New England area, we can arrange a meeting. I've owned the thing this long...

Regards,
Richie


PS Doug, I am certain that all of us Soviet collectors here would LOVE to see your new Soviet acquisition. Please, show it!

[DougB]

Hi Richie, thanks for the background. Yes I'd love to get a hands on this one day, if I'm ever in the NW I'll let you know! I'll try to post my Helmet when time permits!
Cheers!
Doug
PS the relic term is maybe loosely used, just overall condition observation on my part.