Karl-Hermann Frank's SS Helmet Sold

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Karl Hermann Frank likely did not offer up his souvenirs of German rule in the Tschechei in the 1950s to visitors in the years after the war, because by then he had turned to dust. He was executed in the spring of 1946.

But here are images of his rise in younger years, without a steel helmet and in the tumultuous domestic politics of Czechoslovakia shortly before the end....

[Friedrich-Berthold]

A well known pose in September of 1941 in the castle atop the hill in Prag.

[HJ-Collector]

This nice grey cap is also on said website, and not seen usually at swap meets, hock shops, or also in Baltic locales. The black cap was also sold recently in 24 hours.

This posting is not intended as a commercial endorsement, and the poster has no personal interest in said item other than I should buy it, and have instead to buy a car.

But these are remarkable and rare caps. They are not my property.


Also, if a reader wants then to post some offensive a libelous allegations here about personalities (including mine), then kindly think twice before doing so, as the administrators here enforce the rules with some dispatch, as recently shown in another case. There are other sites where the murder of reputations of dealers and collectors rules the realm, so you can go post there.

Please keep your posts here civil and express your opinion like a gentleman or gentlewoman, and keep this site functional and not like the dung heap as had elsewhere. Also, deploy evidence of a credible and tangible kind to support your assertions.

The Frank helment is a remarkable piece, to be sure, and the piece has been vetted by some leading authorities in the US. You can surely disregard their opinions as you wish and proclaim same to the world. We are all free to believe or disbelieve anything and everything. The tendency today is the latter, of course, which might make for amusing reading on blogs, websites, and "twitters," but it does not correspond with reality.

sapere aude.

well said f-b some of the spur of the moment comment in this thread are .

regards ewan

[Friedrich-Berthold]

well said f-b some of the spur of the moment comment in this thread are .

regards ewan

I can understand people being skeptical, especially if they have had bad experiences. Skepticism is warranted in all cases, but likely not in this one, granted certain parameters here. There was doubt expressed a couple of years ago about US GIs finding heaps of stuff in the torso of the SS supply and logistics system based in Bavaria. Surely fake insignia has been sold as being part of the Dachau horde and surely there are endless tall tales associated with US soldiers and their discoveries in caves, bunkers, whore houses, hat stores and gas stations. In fact, I have lived with these Munchhausen stories for 44 or so years, but being an old man in the US, I actually have seen things that really do come from veterans families. The internet has sped up this process in the US, actually, as the death of the generation of my parents accelerates and the heirs dispose of the souvenirs. This phenomenon is not all claptrap, actually.

I think it is correct to levy skepticism, but then the person involved is enjoined to share some evidence of some kind.

Otherwise, this site will rot and decay like the rest.

The process of finding souvenirs has started in this picture, as you can see.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Maybe these men found a helmet, too. Look closely at the bag.

[Grenadier Military Antiques]

Bruce nice Helmet could you tell us who made it. Also was it black at one time and then repainted ? Gary

Dear Gary:

It's an ET and yes, it was a black Allgemeine-SS helmet, which was repainted SS-VT gray.

Bruce

[Grenadier Military Antiques]

Frank wearing his helmet. Notice that his helmet is much lighter in color, i.e., gray. While the others in the picture look to be darker, i.e., apple green.

Bruce

[germancollector]

Frank wearing his helmet. Notice that his helmet is much lighter in color, i.e., gray. While the others in the picture look to be darker, i.e., apple green.

Bruce

All I see is black and white!

[Grenadier Military Antiques]

All I see is black and white!

Shade, and tones man! Frank's helmet is a much lighter tone in this picture, thus lighter paint. The others are darker, thus darker paint. I give up!

[stonemint]

Bruce, thank-you for the pics and document, and thanks for posting--we look forward to seeing more of you over here....