Where do you source your helmets?

[DougB]

Searching is learning.
...And thise is where it comes back to the point of;
-are you buying for your own amusement or
-are you planning to do some "investements"....
So I am just a collector, a "true collector"!!

Well from one true collector to another (wink) , the point I started the thread with is there have been just absolutely brutal fakes being posted here asking "is this real" and spending some time learning about real helmets would answer those questions.

As for spending time in the classroom or field, both are equally important but if the classroom time is not put in the field time becomes a minefield.

Buying real helmets and studying them is a key and only a student of the hobby does this, so that would be considered an amusement. But if you know what you are doing with helmets you should not take too many losses.

If you are asking me, well I make my money elsewhere and lose more money on this silly hobby than gain but I love it so.

All that however is beside the point. If amusement the collector will not be amused if he did not study and bought fakes, if an investment then the investor will have made some unwise investments.

The point is, if you do either then learn what is real and what is not.

Sourcing helmets that are obvious fakes and posting Is This Real you are not learning much. Buy some cheap real ones, study them, smell them, photograph them, compare them, get involved and it is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby.

As well the more we know the less the fakers can take advantage of.
Cheers

[stuka f]

Well, what can I say. It used to be so friendly here. Do you collect helmets Stuka? I don't recall seeing any that you have posted. And by s**t I meant fake. Not relics. Do I have to keep on justifying my opinions to you and Harry?

I will not be in for the day, so just a quick response to you,
you are right lets keep it friendly and go back to facts.
Thise is what thise forum is for .
Discussions like thise are like politics, lets avoid them!
I do collect helmets .
I have at least 2 or 3 FJ helmets on thise forum and two DD WH ...no time to give you the links.
But the FJ are relics, so is one DD WH, the other DD WH happend to be a fake..
And I like the helmet you are selling, slightly to expensive to me, but I like it.
cheers
|<ris

[stuka f]

...and a quick one to Doug.
I would like to discuss something in private with you about fake decals.
I have got to now.
Speak to you later.
cheers
|<ris

[DougB]

Certainly, PM away cheers
Doug

[Isle of Wighter]

I will not be in for the day, so just a quick response to you,
you are right lets keep it friendly and go back to facts.
Thise is what thise forum is for .
Discussions like thise are like politics, lets avoid them!
I do collect helmets .
I have at least 2 or 3 Fallschirmjager helmets on thise forum and two double decal WH ...no time to give you the links.
But the Fallschirmjager are relics, so is one double decal WH, the other double decal WH happend to be a fake..
And I like the helmet you are selling, slightly to expensive to me, but I like it.
cheers
|<ris

No hard feelings Stuka. We are all in the same hobby for the same reasons. I still love relic helmets, but I love complete ones better and the less money I spend on relics, the more I can put towards complete ones, thats all. I will look through the threads and take a peek at your lids.
P.S The relic I had on the for sale section has already arrived at it's new home with a very happy fellow collector.

[Schwerpunkt]

Searching is learning.
I enterly agree with you guys that knowledge is power; I said so before but I am not planning to pass a masters degree.
I think they make better officers by field experience then in classrooms.
Yes that could cost more , but that is a choice one has to made.
I am not in search of any particulary thing, I just buy what crosses my path(when I like it and when the price seems right), so that would take me to long to know all what there is to know about everything...
Holding a piece that is a fraude , to me , is so much better then reading about it.
Thise might look funny , but the smell of an item can tell you much as well.
And no and do not go and smell at every item I see!! ;-)
And because you can not only go buy the smell ..; I like to buy from the internet (eBay included!!) it gives you more time to do some research. Something you are not able to do when presented to you at a fair.
And thise is where it comes back to the point of;
-are you buying for your own amusement or
-are you planning to do some "investements"....
So I am just a collector, a "true collector"!!

I do smell every helmet I get , smell is important to me.
For me the hobby would be quite boring if there was no way I could improve myself. I was a rookie not so many years ago and I have grown into a beautiful butterfly.
That for me is the most interesting part of the hobby , not just owning a piece of history but also being able to checkmate any faker.

If you don't study up eventually you'll fall out of the hobby or in the end you'll end up paying others for saying what's original and what's not.

That's why collectors must stick together and share information , educate new collectors etc...

And paying a 1000 euros for a helmet does not make a person an investor.

[LondonJay]

I thought I had a good helmet but it turned out 2 be fake so I was gutted. Then in stepped Frank and restored my faith with a quality lid, happy times!! Jay

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Well, what can I say. It used to be so friendly here. Do you collect helmets Stuka? I don't recall seeing any that you have posted. And by s**t I meant fake. Not relics. Do I have to keep on justifying my opinions to you and Harry?

Nobody has to justify their opinions to me. If you are happy with what you collect that is all that matters. I like what I collect and I like what I do with what I collect. What anyone else may think is no concern of mine. I much prefer to deal with firearms though. The restoration of a gun seems to cause less fuss than the restoration of helmets.

[Schwerpunkt]

Nobody has to justify their opinions to me. If you are happy with what you collect that is all that matters. I like what I collect and I like what I do with what I collect. What anyone else may think is no concern of mine. I much prefer to deal with firearms though. The restoration of a gun seems to cause less fuss than the restoration of helmets.

If I were to visit the gun forum and talk about my bad looking wooden replica guns I made myself because original guns are too dangerous and expensive I'm sure they would make a fuss about it.
The word restoration is used by you in every post you make here , you do realise this forum has a special restoration section for people who like to make restorations ? That's the whole point of having different forums. I don't need to read about your world if I don't have to.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

If I were to visit the gun forum and talk about my bad looking wooden replica guns I made myself because original guns are too dangerous and expensive I'm sure they would make a fuss about it.
The word restoration is used by you in every post you make here , you do realise this forum has a special restoration section for people who like to make restorations ? That's the whole point of having different forums. I don't need to read about your world if I don't have to.

You know, I really do make an effort to be polite on here. But it seems to me there are those who always want confrontation. I am well aware that there is a section for restoration projects. As far as I am aware I have not yet done a posting on this sacred steel helmet forum detailing how to go about 'restoring' a helmet. Nor have I tried to lecture people on what they should collect. I have also never belittled anyone for collecting what may be considered to be junk by others.

When I joined this forum I assumed it was just a website for collectors to exchange opinions and show items from their collections. But there seems to be a hard core of extremist collectors who cannot and will not accept other people's point of view. I only give advice when it is asked for. I am reluctant to pass judgement on items just by looking at photographs alone - although I admit I have passed reserved comment on occasions.

In all my years of collecting I have never known such venom to come from fellow collectors. I do not do anything to any item I obtain if it does not need it. And if I choose to do any work on something in poor condition it is my right to do so - as it is my property. These forums are supposed to be here to help other collectors, they were never meant for the purpose of belittling someone's efforts or pride and joy. Some of you members really are a sad lot . Perhaps you should band together and form another forum which is only populated by the elite of the collecting world.