M35, single decal, your opinions please

[Niels]

Gentlemen,

Since you've been very supportive on the determination of a stahlhelm I posted here earlier, I would like to ask for your opinion on the following lid. It was purchased by my brother but I don't have much information on it. Just two pictures. And I'm not feeling very positive from what I see;


Picture 1;





What I (think to) see is a solid M35 lid, with what I think is the original paint. However, the decal rings some bells, especially the way it is corroded.

The rivet clearly has been taken off, which is never a good sign, but doesn't necessarily mean it's a fake.

Picture 2;



Now some bells do really start ringing. First of all of course the white rope that holds the leatherwork together is too thick and for as far as I know not original. Which doesn't mean it's fake (maybe a landser replaced it on the battlefield), but it's not a good start.

Secondly, the liner has 8+ "tongs" or so, which did exist but were rare, but this one looks strange to me.

Also; from a liner with this kind of wear, you'd expect it to be dark in the front, where the soldiers' forehead would leave a dark stain from grease and sweat.

Lastly; I'm not sure how to put this in English, but the square "rings" that hold the chinstrap should be flat in the corners, isn't it? These ones aren't.

I'm really looking forward to your opinions. Thanks a lot in advance for helping out a novice.

Cheers,

Niels

[johnhmcgary]

Niels, pictures didn't come through. John

[Niels]

@ John; Thanks for notifying. That's strange, they seem to be working all right from here. Give me a minute please, I'll see if I can fix it through Photobucket.

[johnhmcgary]

Niels, sorry when I posted the reply they popped up. I know the decal looks pretty beat up but is it possible to get a better shot of it? You'll get some informed opinions here. John

[Niels]

Pic1



Pic2

[Niels]

@ John; Thanks again for your reply.

The helmet is now owned by my brother, so I guess getting more detailed pictures should be no problem. However, I thought this thing is so bad that it could be identified as a fake with only these pics.

Cheers,

Niels

[Schwerpunkt]

You left the most important piece of information out of your presentation. (and a decal closeup) What maker stamp is in the helmet ? The decal is clearly a Bigfoot and they are only found on Quist produced shells. The steel liner itself doesn't have to be a problem as this helmet is probably a single decal reissue.
So if this is not a Quist shell the decal is fake , if it is a Quist shell we need a close-up of the decal to confirm it's originality. ;-)

[clayman]

This helmet seems the same issue as a helmet in my collection, my helmet is reissue M35 EF64 lot #20432 paint work and decals look similar thanks Clay