Bulgarian M36c Org Todt

[davejb]

The point that i see as this being faked is all of the above but another point is that under the decal you can see the yellow camo paint, therefore the decal was placed after the paint which makes a camo non effective, it would be more in line if the decal had been covered then scratched out but original paint showing through under the decal instead of the yellow, its a common error used by fakers and one designed to fool to gain more money, but your outlay was very minimal therefore it might be worth taking it back to original colour minus the decal

[Schwerpunkt]

Hi Chris,

Further, Schwerpunkt I believe owns several Org Todt helmets and he hauled off with "Fake" right away, I trust his judgement on these decals and if I were buying one he would be the one I would turn to for a decal opinion before laying down the cash.

Correction Doug , I have RAD helmets.
Why fake ? I haven't seen a single Org Todt helmet that has the characteristics of a one looker original. All had question marks.
Between you and me Doug we know many great collections and none have a Todt helmet.

If they exist they should be reissued Heer helmets. Also I haven't seen any period photographs yet.
So far I'm not a believer if this decal was even used during the TR period , not even the 1980 Maertz book (which features many variant helmets) has a Todt decal or helmet in it.

BTW You can find these decals on every fair , unapplied and applied. All fakes.
I used ADM on a Todt helmet I loaned from a friend and it also didn't have the characteristics of a period printed decal. Flat print.

[MySonsDad]

I know NOTHING about the rarity of these decals or helmets and even less on the obvious fakes that are out there but I wanted to share what I think is wrong and maybe the experts here could chime in and let me know what is a good observation and what is bad. This might help all us newer collectors in detecting fakes, call it a quick lesson for us less experienced guys!

Here is what I see wrong, had I stumbled upon this helmet in a store and wanted to give it purchase consideration:

First, looking at the decal only I think I see where chips in the helmet paint are covered by the decal in a couple of spots (mostly in the upper right area, the large paint chip). I guess this can happen if the decal is applied to an already chipped up helmet, but it scares me away. Second, I see a number of very close and straight scratch marks (most at the upper left of the decal) that do not appear on the shell paint away from the decal. And last, where the decal appears to be worn, the color seems to be awfully white in contrast to the white lettering and Swas. Not knowing much or having experience in identifying fakes, this alone would scare me away from even a low cost common helmet.

Are any of these observations valid? I’m taking notes!

Thanks, Russ

[davejb]

Hi Frank, thats an interesting observation about the Org Todt decal and its possible use in the period but there are two examples in the Goodapple , Maertz and Weinand book German Helmets 1933-1945, both having come from a warehouse outside Paris in 1944, an M40 and M42, is it possible these are dubious in fact

[Schwerpunkt]

Hi Frank, thats an interesting observation about the Org Todt decal and its possible use in the period but there are two examples in the Goodapple , Maertz and Weinand book German Helmets 1933-1945, both having come from a warehouse outside Paris in 1944, an M40 and M42, is it possible these are dubious in fact

That's the follow up book they did without Weinand right ? I haven't read it , do they have a decal or is it painted on ?
In any case I observed none I consider original in over 16 years and many grand collections have been displayed on the internet forums since.

[ObKrieger]

Has anyone seen a period photo of one in use?

[davejb]

I dont know if they did it without Weinand but his name is accredited on the cover, they show two helmets both with decals, and if memory serves correct , on a visit to Batterie Todt in Wissant there were one or two helmets displayed with decals of Org Todt, also in the museum at Wissant i think there a couple more but i cant be sure, the guy who runs it has a fantastic collection of original uniforms and helmets ,caps etc also he sells items at the War and Peace show, i dont think he sells any replicas or fake items, the book shows the collections of the following, Donald Atkins, Albert E Barrows, Greg Bergman, John P Coy, Terrence V Goodapple, William R Maertz, Mark J Mcbride, Kim McGee, James H Pearson, Jerry Sanders, Keith Took, Mark Warren and Ronald J Weinand, the book is Volume II

[Schwerpunkt]

I dont know if they did it without Weinand but his name is accredited on the cover, they show two helmets both with decals, and if memory serves correct , on a visit to Batterie Todt in Wissant there were one or two helmets displayed with decals of Org Todt, also in the museum at Wissant i think there a couple more but i cant be sure, the guy who runs it has a fantastic collection of original uniforms and helmets ,caps etc also he sells items at the War and Peace show, i dont think he sells any replicas or fake items, the book shows the collections of the following, Donald Atkins, Albert E Barrows, Greg Bergman, John P Coy, Terrence V Goodapple, William R Maertz, Mark J Mcbride, Kim McGee, James H Pearson, Jerry Sanders, Keith Took, Mark Warren and Ronald J Weinand, the book is Volume II

I visited battery Todt in September and wasn't exactly blown away by the helmets there. (Some fakes on display) Saw no Todt helmets.
Also the museum at Ambleteuse nearby which is very nice had some high end fakes...

Names in itself have never meant much to me , I take the helmets as I see them ;-)

[Adrian Stevenson]

Has anyone seen a period photo of one in use?

No. Well not me anyway.

Cheers, Ade.

[BOPHEAD]

It seems fakes are everywhere !
Do the Museums know they are displaying fakes and where do they get their fakes from. Could they get them from E-Bay !