McCord Fixed Bale M1 with Hawley Liner

[BrodieBartfast]

This was a recent acquisition, for what I hope was a good price! I'm not really an expert on M1 helmets, though I now have three of them. This one is by far the best of the lot.

Posted here for your enjoyment, a near-mint M1 helmet with an early 'Hawley' liner. The shell is a McCord, with the heatstamp 166A, which I believe dates it to early/mid-1942 (I may be mistaken, as I don't know my American helmets that well!). It has a stainless steel rim, fixed bales, and the earlier brass chinstrap buckle with a raised bar. Aside from a couple of minor scuffs to the dome, which look fairly recent, the paint is pretty much all there.



The liner, as mentioned previously, is a so-called 'Hawley', more accurately referred to as an early fiber liner, as they were made by several companies. The nape strap is marked J&J, for Johnson & Johnson, though there are no markings inside the liner itself. The sweatband is the rare 'double wire' type, and is also marked, though I can't read the markings clearly without removing it from the helmet, which I'm not keen to do! Unlike many of these liners, which didn't hold up well under combat conditions, this one has survived without any significant damage besides some light fraying to the edge. The leather chinstrap is good and supple, though a little flaky.



Looking at the overall condition, I feel that this helmet may never have been issued. I'd expect that of a helmet manufactured at war's end, not of an example made in 1942, though it is of course possible that it spent its war years on the Home Front, or somewhere else away from the trials and tribulations of battle.

I don't think I'm going to be able to upgrade this one anytime soon!


B.B.

[BlackCat1982]

Nice looking helmet and liner ensemble. These Hawley liners have gone up in price a lot recently and are not easy to find for a fair price this side of the Atlantic so I would say you have done well B.B.

[christek]

I would agree all appears unissued and presents together nicely. I really regret not jumping on some more M1 stuff back when they were easier to find and more affordable. Can only agree with the above statement!

[BrodieBartfast]

Thank you both. It was an extremely lucky purchase for sure, from a dealer who must not have known the true value of what they had. They're definitely going up in price, like everything WWII these days, though fortunately they have yet to reach the crazy price ranges of German lids!

B.B.

[ruddersrangers44]

Wicked looking set BB hardly seen any service life if any,hard to find in the UK so hats off to you congrats on finding this top minty example Bud.

[BrodieBartfast]

Thanks! I’ve definitely used up all my luck for this year, though! Out of interest, what does a set like this go for in the States these days?

B.B.

[ruddersrangers44]

Rayon Hawley's start at a $1000-$1500-cotton OD Hawley's $600 (salty) to $1000 like your example.it's an excellant set and TBH the best i've seen in a lot of years of collecting them.

[BrodieBartfast]

Thanks for that, not that I’m planning on selling it anytime soon of course! This whole set cost me £350, or about $420, and that was from a dealer too. Some might call that robbery. I don’t want to brag, and I don’t really like discussing prices on things in general, but it does show that bargains are very much out there if Lady Luck is on your side.

B.B.

[ruddersrangers44]

Brag away all day long B.B. I would too if it we're me,no shame dealer like you say didn't know the true value so their loss your gain,it's such a rarity this side of the pond to actually find any fantastic deals but you have proved they are still out there.!