THETFORD NORTHERN IRELAND HELMET - breakdown

[Greg Pickersgill]

2 Northern Ireland examples have dropped onto EBay in the last 2 weeks.......’just like London buses......

I thought it was two within the last 48 hours. The first one was a very good one, complete with what the vendor claimed was the original faceshield. Buy It Now for £250 or offers. My finger hovered long over the BIN button but I just couldn't convince mysef I'd get £250 worth of fun out of it, even though all the bills are up to date and I have cash in pocket. But I did try a rather half-hearted £200 offer, which was pretty rapidly aced by someone coming in with all the money. Normally if I lose something I really really want (and to an large extent I really really really want one of these, especially with shield fitted) I go through various stages of anger and distress and misery and loss which can go on for years (I still remember something from several Decembers ago), but this time not so much hardly at all. £250 just seemed too much, and so, really, did £200.

So, then imagine my surprise (no, go on, try! it is a thing of wonderment) when this morning another popped up from the same seller, this time, bafflingly, for £300 despite *not* having the shield. More money for less stuff - strange. I note that at the time of writing it is still there, so no mad rush then eh. Might try offering £150 if it is still there at the end-time. I can just about justify that.

Mind you he does provide good photos; I have copied them all for files.

[Redstalker]

I’ve read this thread a few times and thought it’s time to be brave and take my one apart that I picked up from France eBay for the princely some of £50 including postage last year. No visor, no label on liner or the helmet body but does have serial numbers.

[Redstalker]

There were 3 of these up for sale at one point. The one no one has mentioned here was a visorless example and was on auction and sold for £140. There was a strange SA Mk2 helmet painted blue with a British 1945 dated liner being sold at the same time with the visor off a NI riot helmet attached crudely to it. That sold for about £170. I only wanted the visor off it couldn’t justify that price to get it for my visorless one.