Info needed on post war german helmets

[gpf]

In 1975 I aquired what I now know is a post war M42 helmet. After removing the top layer of paint I discovered a Norwegian crest decal and the underlying paint is an olive green color. The helmet does have a run number and letters ET or EF (very faint) stamped on the underside of the rear skirt. The liner has 9 flaps, each with 5 holes and is a medium brown color and is very worn.I have a few questions about post war helmets;
Were these helmets originally aquired from captured stocks of German war materiel and then refurbushed for the Norwegian military or were they manufactured after the war?
Do these post war helmets have any value? If so waht would it be?
Is there any way to restore this helmet to it's original pre-war condition and if so, can you recomend anyone?

I will try to post pictures once I figure out how to do it. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[ObKrieger]

Hi gpf,

First of all, pics are very useful when evaluating helmets, so I will answer this as if the helmet is nothing more or less than what you described it to be.

These helmets are German wartime manufacture. They were refurbished by the Norwegians. This usually consisted of an olive green repaint and the addition of the Norwegian decal, as well as a re-dyed liner. The liners in these are also German wartime manufacture, but the Norwegians died them all a reddish brown color. I have seen complete Norwegian refurbs sell for $200-$300. They have some value to the world helmet collector.

Depending on the condition, you have two options. If you are not a purist, you could figure out if the original German finish (and perhaps a decal) is underneath the Norwegian paint, and if it is, you could learn how to carefully remove the Norwegian paint and give the liner back its original German yellow-brown color.

If it is complete and in good condition, and if there is no evidence of a German finish underneath, then my suggestion would be to keep it as it is and enjoy it for its history.

To post pictures, just take some with a digital camera, plug in your SD card (or whatever you use), and use the 'Pictures upload' button in the 'Attachments' section of your reply.

[AMTG]

Me personaly, I would keep it in its post war configuration.....but then again I have examples of war time German lids...to me it would be a good display helmet to show how these were used post war as it has a history all of its own, and if some of the German paint is still showing, then it would make an interesting example. Sometimes people feel the need to strip these helmets back to German configuration, however that would destroy the particular history of this particular helmet...IMO