would you ever buy a repro WWII German helmet? who makes the best repro on the market?

[battle gear]

since original WWII German helmets are so expensive, I was thinking of buying a nice repro and adding the decals and aging it to look like a WWII model for display


anybody own a repro? are they close to the originals or made of some type of soft pot metal?

[ObKrieger]

I promise you, that you will never in a million years get the same satisfaction of having some Chinese reproduction instead of the real thing. I would advise you to save your money for a solid original.

When I started collecting, I wasted a lot of money on militaria that was kind of halfway there- original shells, new paint, junk like that. I wish I would have saved all of that money. I might have another good original for the shelf today.

[Adrian]

Only if I got a free Harley Davidson to go with it.

If you want one for re-enacting then there is a reason to buy one. If you want one for your collection then no way.

Helmets can be found for a reasonable price if you shop around. A bog standard no decal lid should set you back a few hundred dollars, even a single decal Luftwaffe won't break the bank and believe me, either one of these will be much better than a repro. A relic would also be far more worth while than something knocked out in a back street of Shanghai smelling of fresh paint.

[Salzburg]

Frankly, for the price of a repro I'd rather have a relic lid. At least it has historical value.

Martin

[Greg Pickersgill]

I want to know why even a 'bog-standard no decal 'helmet'' should cost so much. Good grief, these things are not *rare*. Look on Ebay any day and find dozens, and hundreds more on sale from any number of internet sellers. Yes, I appreciate that these helmets appeal to more than one collecting (or special interest...) group that would perhaps turn away from a genuinely hard-to-find (but by comparison cheap) helmet, but that can't be the whole of it. This is something that has baffled me for best part of fifteen years now. The only answer I can come up with - that doesn't actually *work* as an answer is collusion on the part of the dealers to maintain artificially high prices. That people are, apparently, willing to pay. Which makes no sense as high prices usually indicate scarcity. Except in this instance apparent scarcity or plenty is no reliable indicator of monetary value.

As a onetime book dealer I know and understand that old does not mean rare, rare does not mean valuable, and it is only demand that pushes prices up. I can't actually see that there is such a huge demand for TR helmets which supports these high prices.

If I had enough to buy a real TR helmet I'd buy a Dutch M16 instead. If I could find one. And yes, I know this is slightly OT, so to veer back on track, Yes, I would buy a repro if it was both faithful and cheap. Say a tenner.

[Adrian]

I want to know why even a 'bog-standard no decal 'helmet'' should cost so much. Good grief, these things are not *rare*.

No idea and I completely agree. German lids are over priced in my personal opinion but unfortunately that's the way the market is and at the moment if a collector wants one for his or her collection, they should expect to pay a few hundred dollars for even the most basic model. I know damn well a single decal Heer lid shouldn't be worth what........... $800?

But if I want one I will have to pay that.

I'm not sure about the dealer collusion theory, I just think that German lids are always collectable and therefore the prices have been artificially raised by collectors over the years, dealers and sellers raise their prices and it goes on. I have a German lid and I paid $500 about five years ago but I'm not going to sell it for less than that now or it would lose me money. Why would I do that, every collector is the same, we all want the best price for a piece even if we know that in reality it is over priced for what it is but human nature dictates we won't give our money away and the cycle continues.

[MD Helmets]

Mo covered it all, I have nothing to add. I'd buy a repro RK just for display purposes if need be, but that's about all I would buy as a repro.

As for Adrian's comments on helmet prices, I agree with some helmets being over priced. I think SS helmets are way over priced, but I understand and accept the fact that I will have to pay the big bucks to get one, so I will save and make it a good one. I would love for all helmets to be cheaper but the fact is they aren't and this who can afford to pay big bucks will keep the prices high for the rest of us. It's unfortunate but its reality.

[Frundsberg]

I agree that prices of some III Reich items are far too high. But what is the point to collect repros? If You want to buy a German helmet, You do not have to choose W-SS or FJ helmet. Most of us here have started our collections with cheap but original III Reich items. A rusty but original helmet is much more worth than a brilliant repro. This is just my opinion.

[Major Tom]

My belief, if I may? is the collector market "unknowingly" inflates these prices so the clueless new collector (myself) researches and studies more because there are so many counterfeits, this is what is demanding the high prices, it is a some sorts considered a type of obligatory protection, however there is the invariable financial responsibility as well to consider when purchasing anything collectable that it will be counterfeited. If one is to spend $8000.00-$15,000 on a SS he or she will more likely than none do the research and have as many opinions before buying. Unfortunately it doesn't happen a lot and some poor fellow just bought a 5000 dollar repro/fake. I would save my money for a real one not a repro that is being artificially aged it will find its way back in the market again and some un-suspecting person will be out of his or her money. God speed.

regards
Tom

[Gunny Hartmann]

Frankly, for the price of a repro I'd rather have a relic lid. At least it has historical value.

Martin

X2!.....