Italian Helmet Expert needed!
My sister got this for me at a flee-market for $25 USD...... did she get ripped off? She was told it was a WW2 Italian Helmet w/camo cover. I know some Italian gear was leather of a odd green/grey shade much like this chin strap, and there is an odd stamp on the chin strap end. The only stamps on the helmet is the "P100" on back inner rim. Any information you can offer would be very helpful.
Many Thanks, Paul.
p.s. More pictures to come!
I think 25$ is an ok price. Don't think you got ripped off.
Lets start by saying, "I know NOTHING about Italian helmets.by popeye
So is it really Italian?
Is it really WW2 era?
Is the camo cover correct?
It is stamped,(by way of some small holes), as a size 61, so I would say that big a size is rare. Also, size stamped as holes is something I have seen in 1960/1970's era helmets, correct?
Yes, it is Italian and I believe the helmet itself IS World War II vintage. It has the smaller, squat shaped vent holes (post war examples have vent holes that protrude more), it has rectangular chinstrap bales (post war examples have trapezoidal bales), and it has the grigioverde (gray green) leather chinstrap (post war examples have khaki colored canvas chinstraps). Finally, the stamping does seem to go along with other wartime examples I've seen.
What's odd to me is that the size stamped into the leather is normally located directly above the chinstrap bales... On this one, the size stamping looks to be right where the wearers forehead would be.
Also, the the buckle of the chinstrap looks to have grigioverde paint on it... Not sure if this is something seen on authentic helmets.
This could possible be an authentic helmet that was restored with a post war liner and reproduction chinstrap?
I can't really comment on the cover. BUT it does appear to be the Italian-made camo fabric that Italy and Germany made use of during the war.
Joe sounds like he knows what he is talking about. I have held three of these in hand, almost all in a semi relic condition, but they all looked like this one. I can't speak for the Camo cover. I think for $25 she did well. That's a sister worth keeping in the family!
Thanks!
Military surplus dealers have pallets and pallets of post-war Italian M.33s that they sell for ~$50...
At $25, even if your helmet is restored, I think your sister did very well!
Camo cover looks to be post war, the brown is much redder in tint than the war time fabric. The colour of paint is also that used in the post war period, so probably refurbed m33. Hard to say from the pics if the shell and cradle/chinstrap is the wartime version.
Still a good price for it even if post war. Also I should mention that it is known that the helmet covers were a post war issue and not used wartime unless perhaps field made.
Regards,
Jerry
Whateverits just an opinion.
Thank you Joe, Todd, and Jerry! That is correct, the size is at the fore-head area, and the buckle is painted grey. My sister said the dealer had many helmets like this in his shop, but she picked it because of the cover and did not even see the sizes! Lucky for me as I have a big head. 61 is just my size.
She is a good sister...... that loves to "thrift-store" as she calls it. A few years back she found me a vet-bring-back German mess kit, Dated 1938, that had been painted Mint Green and had flowers and puppies on it! Seems some Vets wife was using it to hold match books as it was still full of them. She called me out of the blue one day and asked,"I was just wondering..... is $18 a good price for a WW2 German Mess Kit?" Had to wait 3 years to get it though..... I think she figured I forgot by then!
Thanks again for the info, always good to know what you got! Paul.
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