My first Stahlhelm, what do you think of it?

[Gunny Hartmann]

So, we must avoid this shop
ANTYKI - MILITARIA Tomasz Otrbski ul. Felicjanek 17, Krakw

I've bought items from this shop and have always been treated fairly, the owner seems to be a friendly honest guy!...

[Finnlander]

Yeah he was a nice guy.
I ask again, does the surface seem repainted or original in this condition?

[KradSpam]

I think the manufacturer is Quist (Q66), if that is correct the helmet would have been made between 1936/7 and the first half of 1940. The exterior is I think original, but it's very hard to tell with the condition. It could be early post war paint, it is certainly not recent.

[Finnlander]

Thanks Krad. So it's not painted over a rusty surface? Because that's what it to my very unexperience eye looks like. You know the little mounds where in the paint lies.

[Gunny Hartmann]

Don't panic my friend the paint looks original to me!....

[Finnlander]

That's relieving to know mate : )

[Finnlander]

And another question:

What could be that red thing? There is some of it from the decal spot till the skirt.

There's no such in anywhere else in the helmet. Could it be some remnants of the tricolor decal? The weird thing about this is that the ''remnants'' are in places the decal couldnt even have touched..

[Gunny Hartmann]

If you mean the spots below the vent it looks like fresh rust!...

[KradSpam]

I think he means a bit lower gunny, at the bit where the skirt begins to flare out there are a few red flecks. Could be remains of a tricolour, or maybe a party shield if it was a feldgendarmerie helmet. Or it could be nothing

[Finnlander]

Yup, could be anything.. They wont fall off by rubbing.
Should I spray weapon oil to prevent further corrosion?
Would it be worth it to buy original insiders to it?
And does the pitting give any indication to where this helmet was used or held in? Is such corrosion common in storage stahlhelms? I think that this shell would be in far more worse condition if it had been dug up from somewhere or had layed in some ditch for years.
But yeah, would a storage helmet pit this much? I have M55 Stahlhelm which has been in use for atleast 20 years in cold and rainy Finland and it has very little to none rust and zero pitting, though it has received quite alot hits.

Sorry for spamming these questions, but I just found a place where people know about these things