I need pics inside the liner.
The liner and the chin strap look not good.
I have a relic helmet of the same type of the chin strap (the same material as a military shirt). I'll try to take photos of a chin fastening with a liner tomorrow.
regards
I'm also a little curious as to what drives the price on these Ssh39's? I've seen posts with numbers ranging from $250 USD all the way up to $800. I know the first type liner demands a much higher price but other than that, I'm just not sure how to price these things and could sure use some pointers.
Russ
Hello,
stamp and batch number are interesting, look here : Soviet-Helmets.com
Dom, thanks *very* much for the note about the webpage, I wasn't aware of that one. Looks useful and interesting. Any more webpage recommendations from anyone?
Russ, I think that the point of the high prices of these ssh39 is not that they were particularly rare in the first instance (obviously Very Large Numbers made) but that comparatively few survive intact, with original liners in good or better condition. It is said, and may even be true, that troops frequently removed the liners so that the helmet could set on a fur or cloth winter cap. And also very likely huge quantities became battlefield salvage after Barbarossa and were turned into something else altogether.
I have a horrid memory of not buying one of these, with a complete liner, in an antique market in Bath about twelve years back. I wasn't sure about it as the only Russian helmet I was familiar with at the time was the standard ssh40 (ignorance is rarely bliss). And I didn't have much cash. By the time I'd convinced myself that the thing actually might be worth 20 UKP (a lot to me at the time) and found a cash machine the damned market had closed. Regrets? I've had more than a few, and I'll mention them all if you sit still long enough...
Dom, thank you very much for the insight, I will look close at the link you provided and try and draw a better conclusion myself. I am also going to request better photos if the markings and liner, as others have suggested.
Greg, I believe you are correct in that few of these helmets survived in original form, no different than trying to find a war period dated Ssh40. The plus side is that we know the 39's were not post war produced so I guess we are not quit as suspicious of the date stamp, or are we? Now that the kid and I are starting to step up into the area of "more collectable" (as some my say) helmets, we are now going to have to deal with the greater possiblity of fakes. I think I can get a decent price on this Ssh39, but I need to be confident it is corret and so far, it's not looking good. I hope that turns around, but if not, their is always another lid down the road.
Russ
Dom, I can see the very distict differance between the stamp and batch number style shown in that link vs. the example I have posted. As my exposure to these helmets is all but zero, I have to ask, is the example shown on the web site "typical" or were there many variations to this. Certainly they are very different and if the web site example is the standard looking batch number font and stamp form, then I think we have a real problem with the example I provided.
Russ
Russ ,
I agree with Zelter this helmet is not a good Ssh 39, not only for the liner and the chinstrap but also for the stamp that does not exist and the number that does not use the style of the time .
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