M42 helmet (opinions)

[Giants77]

Definetly great advice I’ll pass on this unless he just ends up wanting to get rid of it for a low price.

[Rakkasan187]

Sound advice from some seasoned and respected collectors here...

I would also hold off on wanting to purchase this particular helmet.. There are others more complete (chinstrap, liner, ect)...

But this is your call, enjoy what you collect and don't have regrets...

Smitty

[Stevade]

Giants ..... You’ll find the DD ones a lot more expensive as they are on the more desirable M35’s.
You’ll certainly be paying the price to get a Apple Green one as they were resprayed and the National Decal removed or oerpainted.
Go for the M42’s that Real Steel has mentioned, then you’ll know it’s legit.

[BlackCat1982]

I would agree that capture papers for a helmet would be very unlikely to include batch numbers, only weapons would include serials and as said earlier no one was interested in chronicling every detail of captured equipment or war souvenirs. It is also impossible to say for sure if the papers are for this helmet or not, but a seller would be able to add a premium price for a helmet with such provenance.

[TWS]

Giants ..... You’ll find the DD ones a lot more expensive as they are on the more desirable M35’s.
You’ll certainly be paying the price to get a Apple Green one as they were resprayed and the National Decal removed or oerpainted.
Go for the M42’s that Real Steel has mentioned, then you’ll know it’s legit.

Giants, Stevade is spot-on. You have to think about the matter in practical terms. A helmet made in... for sake of example 1937 or 1938, like an original M35 DD would have had to survive a lot more potential usage than a later war helmet. That's why many helmets that were originally M35 DD's are no longer found with their initial coat of paint or decals - and that's just the ones that survived the war. They were used, refurbished, then used again, losing in the process their first factory paint and decals. I have a handful of M35 DD's in my collection, but how they survived in that state is truly an exception and not the norm. These were helmets that had somehow been misplaced, set aside in storage, or deliberately "retired" by their owners. Thus a factory original M35 DD is going to command a higher price than the staple M40 SD or even M42 SD or ND.

[Giants77]

Very true, I never actually thought Of all it would’ve had to went through just to be all original today.

[real steel]

Here is one that survived quite nicely. Have not shown this in a long time
D

[Toecutter]

Nice helmet D!I agree with you the OP helmet has been partially denazified,someone scratched off part of the swaz long ago post war,damge is not consistant with rest of decal condition.I would definatly pass on it.JMO

[real steel]

Nice helmet D!I agree with you the OP helmet has been partially denazified,someone scratched off part of the swaz long ago post war,damge is not consistant with rest of decal condition.I would definatly pass on it.JMO

Thank you Sir !! So many untouched examples out there for sale, no need to settle for the OP helmet unless it's a couple hundred dollars. So, depending on ones financial situation, might be the one to go for if $$ is tight.
D.

[MAP]

Nice helmet D!I

Actually, David's just holding it for me


Well at least until I can take a 2nd and 3rd mortgage on the house out to afford it