Stahlhelm M16 WWI Camo - help please

**Mailton** · 03-02-2019, 06:54 PM

Hello Sirs ...
What do you think about this helmet?
Possible purchase.
Thank you very much

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 03-02-2019 06:54 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**real steel** · 03-02-2019, 06:59 PM

Not sure about the paint...these things are tough to judge. Liner looks repro & artificially aged IMO. There is no wear to the pads or stretches in the tie string holes. Add to that....is there any camo paint on the split pin heads ?

Would be cautious with it & get many opinions before buying.
D.

**spandau** · 03-02-2019, 10:06 PM

Hi I would urge caution on this one. Agree with all David's points above. Liner seems to be a replacement and not original.also I have concerns it may be a relic repaint as if you look closely at the lug for fixing the chin strap it appears quite pitted and has had extra paint at some point applied to it. These are tricky items to assess but always go on the side of caution as many are post ww1 repaints. Sorry to be negative. See what others say. Cheers tony

**AndyM35** · 03-03-2019, 01:45 AM

Agree with all of the above comments. Looked at this myself as I like the design but I have two WW1 Camos in my collection and compared to those this one just has something about it that makes me feel uneasy. As David said, the liner looks artificially aged....perhaps with boot polish. Just to add to what spandau has said, I noted the pitting on the inside of the rear skirt. The sheen to the outside of the shell may just be down to the helmet having been lacquered but this makes appraisals of the original paint a lot harder. Overall impresssion - certainly not in the condition that it left the battlefield in.

**MAP** · 03-03-2019, 03:50 AM

Tough call on the paint. I'm 50/50...In hand is a must.

The liner as said appears to be a repro.

If not 100% then it's time to pass.

**Anderson** · 03-03-2019, 08:59 AM

Not easy to be certain with this one. You really need more close up photos of the exterior paint to examine the features, and ideally under natural lighting. The liner looks like an aged repro, that always rings an alarm bell of some post war intervention. That little bit of grey dust around the rivets and on the edge of the rim looks natural, but also possibly contrived patina. One of the rivet head show polished clean steel and i'm wondering why, buffed with the power brush?

**Mailton** · 03-04-2019, 01:11 PM

Hi, thanks for having friends like you. take time out of your day to help a friend, I appreciate that. I will not buy, I will wait for another opportunity. I dream of having one of these, but it certainly will not be today. greetings everyone. Mailton

**MAP** · 03-04-2019, 02:43 PM

by Mailton

Hi, thanks for having friends like you. take time out of your day to help a friend, I appreciate that. I will not buy, I will wait for another opportunity. I dream of having one of these, but it certainly will not be today. greetings everyone. Mailton

Thanks for the kind response.

You need to be particularly careful with camo's. Especially WW1 examples. Good ones are out there. Just keep looking and be patient. You will be rewarded

**olboy** · 04-17-2019, 08:29 AM

May be a bit late on this post but here's my 2 cents.
The same seller has identical WW2 camo colours......hmmmm.
Call may cynical but all of his camo's feature these colours.....and I was warned about Latvian helmets.

**AndyM35** · 04-17-2019, 09:24 AM

Well spotted olboy! They do appear to be the same colours and from the same seller..... join the dots. I’m not a camo or wire expert but from what I can see that wire looks like a recent addition and in no way seems to have rubbed or interacted with the helmet shell. I don’t know what theatre that camo would have been used in.

It’s such a shame that original helmets are being ruined by these vandals all in an effort to make some fast $$.