Ddr east german nva steel m56

[Watchdog]

Curiosly I see from the website I linked that he has a 1967 dated 3 rivet Modell 1956 which also has what appears to be two year dates? So the one I isn't unique in this style.

Hmmm, I have stared at that until my eyes hurt and the more I do the more it looks like the first digit could be a mis-stuck '0' making it 05 for May?

Is it possible that yours could be 09 for Sept?

I honestly can't be certain from the pics but it would answer the question.

You have your lid in hand so you will be better placed to say. Try to take a very close up pic that can be enlarged. I sometimes rub chalk or similar over a stamp and shine a light from different angles when photographing a difficult to see mark. I have often found a badly struck '0' very hard to interpret.

Just a thought.

Regards

Mark

PS I just looked at yours again and it really is 69 so I guess we are no further forwards

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Hi Steve,

I know the marks you are talking about but the helmet stamps are different;

The top mark is the roman numeral II for a size two (there were three sizes; I, II & III) rather than 11 ie eleven for November.

The bottom stamp is the year, in this case is 64 for 1964.

The middle stamp should be the month which is why 69 is puzzling.

Could this be a mis-stamp or is there another explanation. I'm afraid I have no idea but I still like this helmet as an original.

Regards

Mark

Hi Mark, all I know about these helmets is that mine is a 'first pattern'. I have no reference books on DDR militaria, and what I know probably wouldn't fill the back of a postage stamp. But given the way that my collection has grown over the past three years, I am now looking at arming myself with some good reference books rather than just trawling through the internet for snippets of information. I never thought that collecting DDR militaria could be so interesting, and even now, several of the items I have acquired are now difficult to find.

Cheers,
Steve

[Watchdog]

Hi Mark, all I know about these helmets is that mine is a 'first pattern'. I have no reference books on DDR militaria, and what I know probably wouldn't fill the back of a postage stamp. But given the way that my collection has grown over the past three years, I am now looking at arming myself with some good reference books rather than just trawling through the internet for snippets of information. I never thought that collecting DDR militaria could be so interesting, and even now, several of the items I have acquired are now difficult to find.

Cheers,
Steve

I know, but perhaps we shouldn't be surprised! I remember not so many years ago that the award documents etc for TR medals were something that held no interest for most collectors and I have heard some dealers say that "you couldn't give them away" yet now look at the market!

I am certainly no expert regarding DDR stuff and most of what I know I gleaned from "observing the beast" as it were and the odds and ends I picked up to use for training purposes. However, being an inherrent collector anyway you know how it goes? Some of those items that cost no more than a few pennies back then are highly collectable now. I am still kicking myself for not "stocking up" in Berlin on things like the Offiziersdolch which was then going for the equivalent of £20 - £30!! I don't even have one for myself despite trying for about 3-4 years now.
I don't know of any good books of the standard we collectors are becoming used to expecting. I only have the ones from Militaerverlag der DDR that we all bought in East Berlin for the old "know your enemy" thing!
So, if you do identify any likely volumes please give me a nod! I don't mind if they are not in English either.

Regards

Mark

[HARRY THE MOLE]

I'll send you a PM tonight... Busy right now.

[BlackCat1982]

Just picked up another M56, later plastic ihnenfutter and marked:

II
3
75

Will post photos if desired, but it looks much the same as one might expect. Just missing the liners cord from the top.

[Watchdog]

Just picked up another M56, later plastic ihnenfutter and marked:

II
3
75

Funny enough so did I,

This one is an early M56 dated;

I
06
60

I have never seen a size I before,



the bloke must have been a real "peanut head". It looks to be a size 55 or smaller. It was with a number of other items including an early Skimuetze, Schiffchen and Schirmuetze all really small (I'll post the rest separately) and all named to "Frost". The helmet is of the early greenish feldgrau and shows the thinning and wear to the crown as expected.
I have never seen a net like this either and it looks like the Hausfrau maybe had to sacrifice her shopping bag and some white elastic (I won't ponder on that!) to make it as it certainly isn't factory made but has real age.

I have six of these bloody things now (4 x M56 and 2 x M56/74) and I don't know why?

Regards

Mark

[Composite]

Guys...what's going on?!

Feldgrau?? Schirmuetze?? ihnenfutter?? skimuetze?? schiffchen????....has this thread been annexed by the TR lot now? what in the Sam Hill is going on? what's wrong with "liner", "green" and "Ski cap" for Pete's sake?!

I think you'll find that we don't need to make our topics look interesting, mysterious or "cool" by using foreign words and to be honest I'm appalled at this slippage - may I remind you that it's THAT lot who uses funny words to try to make their topic look interesting - we don't need to.

I'll consider this a silly mistake for now....but from this point on Ich beobachte!!.....errr.....sorry......I'm watching!

[Watchdog]

Guys...what's going on?!

Feldgrau?? Schirmuetze?? ihnenfutter?? skimuetze?? schiffchen????....has this thread been annexed by the TR lot now? what in the Sam Hill is going on? what's wrong with "liner", "green" and "Ski cap" for Pete's sake?!

I think you'll find that we don't need to make our topics look interesting, mysterious or "cool" by using foreign words and to be honest I'm appalled at this slippage - may I remind you that it's THAT lot who uses funny words to try to make their topic look interesting - we don't need to.

I'll consider this a silly mistake for now....but from this point on Ich beobachte!!.....errr.....sorry......I'm watching!

Hahaha, watch the blood pressure Ade

If I might paraphrase that great style icon Michael Winner "Calm down dear it's only a hat"

YouTube

Seriously, I don't think it has anything to do with cool or kudos. It just helps with clarity in some cases. In particular the German language has so many different words that relate to headress far more specifically than English. Just look how overworked the English "service dress cap" is!

Alles klar herr Komissar?

Regards

Mark

PS Isn't the Sam Hill thing an American English phrase rather than the good old "Queens English"

[TabsTabs1964]

Real Histoy. Cool

[BlackCat1982]

That's a nice early lid Mark, makes mine look very ordinary, but the price was right and so it had to come home with me?



And



The net has been on this a while and it looks similar to others I've seen being sold separately online, but is it original?