Relic dug M40 with wire for comment

[FranzJon]

ended up at $234+ $25 shpg. About twice the value IMHO.
The nicer condition M35 DD from Cassino ended at $395 + $25shpg

[DougB]

The strap looks like good Rf 0008 no problem there. However the straps condition doesnt seem to reflect the condition of the leather liner so looks like postwar added. I do not collect relics, but I know non relic wire helmets are perhaps among the toughest to authenticate. A relic shell with relic wire, even moreso as any old wire can be added, aged and a relic shell now triples in value.

The other thing that always gets me is it seems these relics always comes from a well known famous "named" battlefield. Cassino, Stalingrad. Never from a place you never heard from. I take these stories and toss them into the trash can as to me they are simply used to jack the value of the helmet with a recognizable battle site to a wanting collector of history.

[cricketchris1944]

The strap looks like good Rf 0008 no problem there. However the straps condition doesnt seem to reflect the condition of the leather liner so looks like postwar added. I do not collect relics, but I know non relic wire helmets are perhaps among the toughest to authenticate. A relic shell with relic wire, even moreso as any old wire can be added, aged and a relic shell now triples in value.

The other thing that always gets me is it seems these relics always comes from a well known famous "named" battlefield. Cassino, Stalingrad. Never from a place you never heard from. I take these stories and toss them into the trash can as to me they are simply used to jack the value of the helmet with a recognizable battle site to a wanting collector of history.

You are correct again I will not spend my money on this.

[Glenn66]

Thanks for all the comments guys, both positive and negative. I ended up buying this lid and i'll tell you why.

(1) The seller was very open with communication and actually offered to not only refund my money if I wasn't happy but also would pay 1/2 of the return shipping cost, when do you ever hear an offer like that?
(2) The seller lives in Frosinone and this was confirmed by the postage documentation that came with the box. I guess some suspicious minds might say that proves nothing and they'd be right but it at least lends credibility to the sellers story unlike all the 'Stalingrad' helmets coming out of Latvia these days.
(3) The seller has asked me for photos of the helmet if I attempt a clean up with it. If he was a crook i'd expect a hit and run sales job rather than ongoing communication.

Now that I have the lid in hand I have inspected up close and with a magnifying glass I can see the ends of the wire have corroded down to the point where they have broken away, if the wire was fake I would have expected evidence of wire cutters or twisting to be visible prior to an accelerated rusting agent being applied. The outer band is corroded almost completely away and this corresponds with the state of the inner band whose remains are still sealed between the folds of the liner. The liner is stiff as a board of course and has a firm grip on the inner band remains, I think this leads credibility to the liner being original. The seller even included all the sections of rusted liner band that he found in the helmet! Why I don't know, not much I can do with them

The Heer decal is somewhat visible which was a nice find.

As to the price, well to me $200+ isn't that much of a big deal if the lid is as authentic as I think it is. You guys who say you wouldn't pay $100 for a lid like this well, I wish you luck in finding those bargains wherever they may be!

I'm going to try a soapy sponge and water to try to remove some of the surface dirt, actually the 'dirt' is very thick and looks like some kind of textured finish so if the water doesn't shift it i'll break out the magnifying glass again to try and determine its makeup. Maaaybe a light oxalic acid wipeover might be worth a shot but i'll make that call after the soap and water treatment.

In any case there will be photos of before, during and after the cleanup so i'll be sure to post them, stay tuned!

Glenn

[stuka f]

Well done Glenn, the first thing that matters is "YOU" self!!
Buying what you like when your budget allows , is a good idea. It is just the way I work too, and apparently we are not alone, otherwise we wouldn't have to compete against other on eBay.
For investements I do have other ideas.
|<

[Inf Div 121]

Hi, Glenn!

I like that helmet, wait a bit with oxalic acid, I'm making guide how to use it.

Regards,
Andris

[Nikolaus]

I like this helmet,too. I think its a original wire, because there are"shadows" on the helmet, where the wire lost.
regards

[Woolgar]

Glenn, you have made a good call there ! Congrats ! You have made a calculated and considered decision !

In the grand scheme of things $200 is not alot, its not like you impulse bought a Knights Cross

Looking forward to seeing the clean up process

Nick

[Aus der Traum]

Nice Relic Glenn! Lots of character!

-Joshua

[Paul D]

Glenn as i said first up i liked this one, as for price it's not bad at all , the days of a nice relic helmet for £50 or $100 have gone !! For that money you are looking at a piece of rust without , decal , any paint or liner so i think you have done ok here

regards

Paul