post up your favorite helmet acquisition for 2015

[asterperious]

Nice items guys! And technically speaking the steel helmets are ballastic in their design and usage so not really 'outside' general theme IMO, and it generates posts and interest across a wider spectrum.

[James C]

Just to give thanks to all that have participated in the thread and showing your treasures for this year, im quite happy to see steel as well as composite/ballistic and technically the mig helmet has no real place here ,but its made of composite parts ,leather aluminium etc , 2015 really was a good year for my collection so here are a few of my other favourite's perhaps not to everybody's taste ,mk1 brodie transitional ,a Persian gulf m1c , summer and winter DDR tanker helmet's ,a French f1 supple tanker helmet ,irish U.N rabintex a west german gsg9 helm and m35/53

[Mark K]

Sorry James a tough decision to make hard to just pick one so I hope you do not mind if I post up two .

1# 1941 dated C.L./C. flashed to the Winnipeg Grenadiers with vet provenance.

2# 1943 dated C.L./C. Canadian four panel medic


Regards Mark

[James C]

Well - here is my favourite: A WW I Mk I helmet with a REAL sandbag field made cover to Pte. Benjamin Baldrey 1 Bn The Rifle Brigade.
Attachment 917052
Attachment 917053
Attachment 917054
Attachment 917055
Attachment 917056
Attachment 917057
Attachment 917058

a real gem there AP and thanks for sharing, the burlap /hessian cover really is special,thanks for sharing

[James C]

Attachment 917068Attachment 917069

I am leaning towards this one as being my favorite for the year, a Bavarian Freicorps.

Take care,

MartAttachment 917072

Very nice indeed martin ,how did you aquire this one ,from our forum friends or elsewhere either way ,very nice and thanks for sharing
Cheers james

[James C]

Can only whack this helmet up for the year, I've post it elsewhere here too 60's salt shaker West German and bugger it I'll whack in my all time fav

Great stuff rene' ,thanks for your input here mate ,nice flight helmet and salt /pepper shaker ,i notice a few of these jazzed up and sprayed black advertised for sale as ww2 period german stahlhelms

[James C]

Well, James, I couldn't claim to have a 'favourite' composite acquisition for 2015; I did buy several (hmm, maybe make that 'many' really...) and while they are all interesting to me they are mostly Mk6s and Para Lightweights and two or three commercial police/security products. All interesting, definately, and with their charms, but Stars of the Collection?... perhaps not.

But given that metal objects have been inserted into this thread already, I will offer up two steel (well, one steel one aluminium, actually) helmets that truly delight me.

This first is a facet of my love for the French Mle45 Jeanne d'Arc. Its the version produced in the 1950s for the Saarbataillon, the police units based in the Saar during the French occupation (which lasted until 1956). The one I illustrate here is a later version, still in use after the return of the area to West Germany. It lacks the frontal badge that it would have had during the French period. It's made of aluminium, and while obviously the same family as the mle45 it has a distinctly different shape, being more rounded and with a less defined nape section. The liner is the same-but different, using the same fiting system but leather lobed rather than the Riddell loops of the original mle 45. The liner fixing tabe are rivetted on rather then spot-welded as was the case with the teel Jd'A (see the pic of the top). There was, usually, no crest fitted. This was a real find for me, and I ended upo with three of them from the same seller the other two being repainted white as was customary for the BRD police.


Attachment 917291 Attachment 917292

Attachment 917289 Attachment 917290

The next one is a true delight - a genuine early model (pre-1930!) Swiss M18. Now this character has had a hard life over its maybe 80-odd years, its not entirely obvious that it still has much of its original green on the exterior, and the leather pads and straps are in poor condition, but its the real thing, no question. Its not just the smooth green finish that makes this what it is, its the two-piece leather chinstrap that demonstrates it is an unmodified pre-1930 M18. To be honest I am not sure - because part of the chinstrap is missing - wheteher this is truly the first or second pattern strap (the common one known as the 'carbine hook strap' is the thrid version) but bloody hell, it's a two piece leather strap! That'll do for the moment, no question. I have seen only one of these on sale before, several years back, and I was outbid on that. This one I got for next to nothing really, because, well, you know, no-one is interested in Swiss helmets - except me and the guy who outbid me way back when.


Attachment 917293 Attachment 917294
greg many thanks for your input here ,the lack of composite material does surprise me but at least your honest ,if you didnt buy it this year then why show it ,you have picked up some very nice example's and to be honest didn't realise you are still into all things steel ,shows how little you know of people ,
Attachment 917295 Attachment 917296


Actually, and it pains me to say this, I almost did have a Star Composite, because I found a genuine really early development model of the British Para Lightweight on US Ebay on Christmas Day morning. It had a hefty but realistic price of $200 BuyItNow or offers accepted. Idiotically, because of the costs of postage and built-in Customs payment (a not entirely desirable new innovation given the lottery that Customs charges is) which would have brought it up to nearly £200 overall, I decided to make a offer of $150 and went out for a walk. On my return I found some other bastard had bought it. Poo. I should have just bitten the bullet and paid the BIN price, and gone without something elsewhere later. I'll probably *never* see another one for sale. Sadness, misery, made worse by the fact that it was all my own fault. Catherine told me to not be an idiot and lose it, but Oh No, I had to try saving a few pounds. Inappropriate economy, indeed. Nice to start the new year with a regret, isn't it.

your post war Jeanne d'Arc really is a sight to behold as is your swiss m18 so well done on a nice haul for 2015 ,the us customs charge is always a minefield and holds me back many a time on purchases ,thank you for you comments and interest in my thread greg ,all the best for 2016
james

[James C]

My only helmet of 2015. As I've cut back on my collecting I only acquire things that I would consider a bargain. Nothing special just a M35 Police. I particularly like the national shield.

Oops, I just noticed this is the wrong category for this helmet. Moderator, please delete.

very nice carl and thanks for sharing ,id gladly have this on my shelf
regards james

[James C]

Sorry James a tough decision to make hard to just pick one so I hope you do not mind if I post up two .

1# 1941 dated C.L./C. flashed to the Winnipeg Grenadiers with vet provenance.

2# 1943 dated C.L./C. Canadian four panel medic


Regards Mark

post away mark ,from my prospective your commonwealth canadian groupings are always a sight to behold so thank you very much for your input
kindest regards james

[Martin C]

Hello James,

Thank you for the kind words, I am glad you like it! I purchased this from a good friend and current custodian of a nice
collection. I wish it could tell us its story.

Mart