My first stahlhelm- relic M42

**ToxicGas** · 10-02-2010, 06:30 PM

i purchased this earlier today at a local militaria fair; I've wanted a German helmet for years, and today I finally obtained one. I have almost bought helmets online on a number of occasions only to find out paint / decals were post-war / fake...etc, so I decided a relic helmet was the way to go for now.
It cost me £120. The dealer told me he had obtained the helmet from Southern France, and from what I know it's an M42. You can just about tell from my photos, but dark green subtly shows through on the shell. There's no trace of decals, but this I assume was the case when the helmet was in use. There are no markings I can see.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, and any information you can give on the helmet and it's usage or context. I hold it, and it fascinates me to think a soldier once wore it, so long ago.

Mat

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-02-2010 06:30 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**ToxicGas** · 10-02-2010, 06:40 PM

-more photos of details.

**Nathan5kdp** · 10-02-2010, 08:47 PM

Congrats on your first lid! I'm sorry to say though that now you will never be able to stop collecting them. It's an addiction many of us have come to face.

I would say you payed more than it's current value but like all Third Reich stuff it will go up and only up in price of the years to come. But whats most important is that you like it.

**DougB** · 10-02-2010, 09:55 PM

Standard issue M42, no way of knowing its use or context other than a standard issue combat helmet. With no decals I would hazard a guess its a Heer no decal M42 and impossible to say if it was issued to the divisional potatoe peeler or a hardened and grizzled combat veteran of 4 years hard fighting.
Congrats on your first helmet, as said, its a terrible addiction that will eat away your life savings LOL.

**TUFC** · 10-02-2010, 10:01 PM

good safe buy, unlike many of us, your first lid IS original!! good start,

**ToxicGas** · 10-03-2010, 02:38 PM

Nathan5kdp- When I got home I realised I probably paid a bit too much, but I don't think it's too bad, and as you say these things only accumulate value. I'm very pleased indeed to finally have one, and the real deal!

DougB- I thought that would be the case. Is it possible however to work out anything from the colour of the helmet? I've seen people make comments on a helmet's origin or use based on paint before. Also, being an M42, would I be correct to assume this was worn and then lost in 'Southern France' in 1942? Or would it be later potentially? I've been trying to work out what was happening there at that point in time.

TUFC- Thanks! It's only for the experience of many members on here and their advice that I didn't fall for a fake as my first purchase... being a member here has been invaluable!

**crazy horse** · 10-03-2010, 03:09 PM

nice steel, it's not in bad shape to be a relic, as you call it. I am no expert by far, but I think it is in pretty good shape, you said it had some darker green color you said, my eyes need new glasses, so I missed any green, will go back & look it over again, you think maybe it could be apple green? anyway thanks for showing it, I love helmets & bayonets, daggers etc. my favorite items to collect. nice piece to start out with.

**ToxicGas** · 10-03-2010, 03:22 PM

You can see it best on the close-up of the rivet (?), it's mostly very subtle and does not show in the pictures (It's not your eyes!). I think it could be apple green, yes- though I do not know all of the different paints used, I imagine someone else can comment better here. As for the condition, I don't know how exactly you classify a relic, I just thought that seemed the best way to describe it. It's very solid though and in pretty good shape as you say.

**crazy horse** · 10-03-2010, 04:05 PM

by ToxicGas

You can see it best on the close-up of the rivet (?), it's mostly very subtle and does not show in the pictures (It's not your eyes!). I think it could be apple green, yes- though I do not know all of the different paints used, I imagine someone else can comment better here. As for the condition, I don't know how exactly you classify a relic, I just thought that seemed the best way to describe it. It's very solid though and in pretty good shape as you say.

yeah I can see it best on the rivet also, it's just my eyes are bad, usually when someone says relic they usually show a helmet that has just been dug up, or has holes shot through it, yours is pretty solid looking to me, but I'm no expert, I don't know how much the price was, I know that money in the U.K. is worth more than our dollars. but I like your lid it is in pretty good shape to me, but I can't afford the big buck's helmets.but your helmet is nice , good grab, if I had the money & ran across one like it, I would have bought it.

regards Marty

**DougB** · 10-03-2010, 05:26 PM

It is not apple green because M42s were never painted applegreen from the factory. They were all painted in feldgrau typically with a rough finish. From the paint it is pretty much impossible to tell if Police, SS, Heer, LW, KM or even used in one of the non combat organizations. But I would say it is most likely a Heer based upon simple probability.
Being an M42 denotes only a model number which started in the year of production and these were made right up until 1945. Southern France is a story as well, there is no proof or provenance linking the helmet to Southern France.

So what you have is a relic in pretty decent shape of a German M42 helmet and I am afraid to say that it really has lost it's history at this point, anything said about this helmet is 100% total speculation and conjecture.

That means you can imagine it being worn by a heavily decorated senior NCO leading his men into hard defensive battles or it was worn by a 59 year old Volksturm whose main task was latrine duty each day, your choice! But thats the fun of a helmet like this, you will never know so any story is plausible.