m31 liner original or reproduction?

[Byzantium]

Dear forum members,

I'm looking for some advice on this liner, it's a size 61 leather with a steel liner band. It's being sold together with a size 68 m42 shell (that was once painted black). According to the seller it was originally inside this particular shell. While i have no doubt the shell is real, the thing that worries me is the color of the felt inside the liner. The liner has been authenticated as original on the Wehrmacht Awards Forums (the seller posted it there) but i am hoping to get some feedback from here as well.

I will attach some photos. Personally i think the felt looks too white/new/clean to be original, i have 2 helmets with original liners in them and the inner felt looks dark grey/brown and rough.

What do you guys think? If the felt is not real, the whole liner probably is not real, unless the leather was added later (to the existing steel linerband).

Greetings, Byzantium

[Danmark]

While it is an unusual colour, I think its ok. I like the mottled mix in the fibers and felt is quite protected in between the band and leather....

[Byzantium]

Thanks for the reply Danmark, i felt confident enough to purchase the helmet and liner, picked them up today.

Strangely, in real life the felt has a faint greenish tint to it which wasn't really visible on the pictures.

However the leather does look and feel authentic hands-on, and it even has that peculiar old leather smell to it, so i guess it's all good!