Another piece of history destroyed....

[PotatoDigger]

Hello fellow helmet people.. or whatever,
I have a bit of a sad story to tell you, I have recently sold off my Norway reissue M42 Stahlelm because I am planning to replace it with something different, anyway, shipped the helmet off early this week, sold it for 250€ , in hindsight I should have asked more.. anyway too late now, you can see the helmet as it was in my original thread of the helmet EF64 M42 (post war use in Norway)
I sold the helmet to someone called "Sammler 32" Sammler meaning collector kind of hoping it would end up in good hands, couldn't have been more wrong!
So I look around eBay Kleinanzeigen today and what do I find? A paint stripped m42 shell EF64 088 me thinking " huh, that's curious, same lot number as the M42 I had just sold!". Not much later I saw the chinstrap from my helmet up for sale aswell! Wonder what'll happen to the liner and split pins.. So now I feel like I had sent my helmet unknowingly like a pig to the slaughterhouse just to have the buyer dismantle it and sell the good parts to turn a profit.. Well it's too late now and also out of my reach obviously, but I learnt one thing, I won't sell any similar things to that person anymore because they obviously do not care one smidge about a historical artifact, just money..
Either way, curious to see what your reactions on this are, mine is one of disgust to be honest..
That's all for now. I should take the original pics and make them black and white and play some sad music to accompany them haha
Luis

[PotatoDigger]

Well, I guess one way to look at it, these Norway reissues have just become one helmet scarcer!

[MAP]

We as collectors and preservers of history recoil when we see this happen but are fully aware that it does.

That said, we also enable it. Vet collections are bought and then split up for profit. But we still buy the item... Or we buy a helmet and need a chin strap? In most cases, where does that come from? Usually a donor helmet.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

The purchaser just took things a bit further than you did. You dismantled it and put it back together, he dismantled it and sold off the parts. Whether we like it or not, and as sad as it is, it was his property to do whatever he liked with it.

[sargetom]

I am also just as unhappy when I discover someone who owns several items that belonged to the same soldier while in service and sells them piecemeal to make a profit. Still as others have said it is there to what they wish with.

[PotatoDigger]

I know and understand that it was his property to do what he wanted to do with it, but regardless, it is still kind of sad to see..

[RMD]

Hello fellow helmet people.. or whatever,
I have a bit of a sad story to tell you, I have recently sold off my Norway reissue M42 Stahlelm because I am planning to replace it with something different, anyway, shipped the helmet off early this week, sold it for 250€ , in hindsight I should have asked more.. anyway too late now, you can see the helmet as it was in my original thread of the helmet EF64 M42 (post war use in Norway)
I sold the helmet to someone called "Sammler 32" Sammlermeaning collector kind of hopeing it would end up in good hands, couldn't have been more wrong!
So I look around eBay Kleinanzeigen today and what do I find? A paint stripped m42 shell EF64 088 me thinking " huh, that's curious, same lot number as the M42 I had just sold!". Not much later I saw the chinstrap from my helmet up for sale aswell! Wonder what'll happen to the liner and split pins.. So now I feel like I had sent my helmet unknowingly like a pig to the slaughterhouse just to have the buyer dismantle it and sell the good parts to turn a profit.. Well it's too late now and also out of my reach obviously, but I learnt one thing, I won't sell any similar things to that person anymore because they obviously do not care one smidge about a historical artifact, just money..
Either way, curious to see what your reactions on this are, mine is one of disgust to be honest..
That's all for now. I should take the original pics and make them black and white and play some sad music to accompany them haha
Luis

Honestly, PatatoDigger, you shouldn't feel responsible in any way. If anything, you were just trying to help a fellow collector get ahead. I personally believe that after communication a few times with a person, reading through their comments, assessing their knowledge, or their quest for knowledge, concerning collecting, we can get a pretty good idea if someone is sincerely passionate about this hobby, or just passing through.

.. Though, I will say, I believe you have made the right decision not to sell to this individual anymore, as their main concern is not the preservation and appreciation of history. Also, I think that you made the right decision in sharing this cautionary tale


Sorry this happened. I understand how it can be very disheartening.





Take care.

[PotatoDigger]

Thanks for your replies, MAP,RMD,Harry and sargetom,
Yes, as I am very much for the preservation of history wherever possible,hence I made that decision to not sell any similar items to that individual. And thought it would be best to share it so people know, I do think most people have it somewhere in their consciousness but this makes for a good reminder. There was no way I could've known what'd happen to the helmet, sadly. Maybe next time I will ask the seller what their plans with such an item are . I mean, if they do this sort of stuff, why don't they buy some crappy repainted fake helmet instead? Same components but no history
But overall it is nice to see that we all think alike in this regard

[AndyM35]

I fully understand the sentiment PotatoDigger. It saddens me greatly to see original helmets having their authenticity destroyed all for profit. While there are still many original helmets out there I see a time when all of the good ones are in collections while the more basic configurations will become more and more scarce. What will be left will be a mass of fake camos, helmets with dugout decals, and helmets with fake decals etc. such as is happening with non decaled M42’s which are becoming more scare. That’s why as collectors our other role as preservationists is so important

[MAP]

.......such as is happening with non decaled M42’s which are becoming more scare.

What we need to do is start spreading the word that ND M42's are uber rare and thus should command the same premium as an SS! That will solve the problem ....but create another as people start removing decals from helmets LoL