NVA M56 Stahlhelm and current inflation!!

[Watchdog]

This is just a quick trawl for opinion here.

I have just seen on Ebay (I know, but if you know what to look for etc ) a seller offering three early NVA M56 priced at €299,99, €350 and €375 one of which is described as "Letzte WH entwicklung" (interpret as "final Wehrmacht variant / model / pattern" etc) which it obviously isn't (if it were I would be on my motorcycle and burning rubber in his direction at that price!). The famous Model B or B/II is similar but nowhere near close enough and massively rare.

I must be fair and say that the helmets in question are pretty decent M56 but I have never paid more than high double figures for really good early M56 and then within the last year so, I was just wondering. Have I missed something and I am in line for some serious profit here??

I won't name the seller as I don't want to be responsible for publicising a deadfall to some unsuspecting new collector.

What do you reckon?

Regards

Mark

[Gunny Hartmann]

I don't think you have missed anything mate, I put it down to pure greed. I wouldn't pay any more than 80/90 quid for an early M56, i'd go to about 120 if it had an original decal.

[Pauls1970]

I paid £90, last year for a 1958 example, with slight remains of it's decal, those prices are a bit OTT !
Regards
Paul

[Watchdog]

I don't think you have missed anything mate, I put it down to pure greed. I wouldn't pay any more than 80/90 quid for an early M56, i'd go to about 120 if it had an original decal.

Yes, I would jump at one with a genuine decal. Come to think of it the Soviet style (I think that was a Czech Vz53 with a different liner?) KVP decalled lid would be hard to resist

I do wonder in this case if it is greed or ignorance! Either way it is ridiculous and something I figured I ought to mention just in case somebody here might be tempted especially when he alludes to an M56 being a Model BII

He does have another item which I am interested in but it is offered together with another ludicroulsy priced item so I have messaged him to try and do a deal. If I am successful I will be pleased.

Regards

Mark

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Dealers will charge whatever they think they might get, and you can be absolutely sure that someone, somewhere will pay those high prices. That aside, there is no doubt that prices are climbing for the earlier DDR militaria - especially the 1950's and early 1960's stuff. You only have to look at listings on 'eBay de' to notice that items which were quite common up to a few years ago are less frequently seen for sale. Most of what you see now is 1970's and 1980's, and that is not as desirable because it lacks the quality of the earlier items.

Cheers,
Steve

[Watchdog]

Dealers will charge whatever they think they might get, and you can be absolutely sure that someone, somewhere will pay those high prices. That aside, there is no doubt that prices are climbing for the earlier DDR militaria - especially the 1950's and early 1960's stuff. You only have to look at listings on 'eBay de' to notice that items which were quite common up to a few years ago are less frequently seen for sale. Most of what you see now is 1970's and 1980's, and that is not as desirable because it lacks the quality of the earlier items.

Cheers,
Steve

You are scorrect of course Steve though I hestitate to describe this individual as a "dealer" ,he seems to have little grip on reality and I believe rather poor knowledge of the subject.

The other item I was hoping to prise from his greedy paws was a Blumentarn kaputze but he has it together with another M56 priced at 399€

I contacted him and asked him to split them (no connection by way of provenence and the Kaputze looks unused so it has not been paired with the helmet) but he refused.

Undaunted I pointed out to him that the M56 is not as he suggested the "Last Wehrmacht variant" but nothing to do with the Wehrmacht at all and that as nice as his helmets were they were in no way worth what he was asking.

He actually replied asking "so which was the last?" I couldn't believe what he was asking! However, I politely explained about the B/II which he completely ignored in his next reply.

He went on to suggest that an original decal could be had for 5€ and that adding a decal made the helmet worth 299.99 therefore the helmet without the decal was worth just 5€ less!!

I did try to explain that adding a decal if you could find an original at any price, was not the same as a helmet with originally applied decal but that went over his head.

Changing tack I reminded him that I was willing to pay top market price for the Kaputze and that he would still have the (really rare ) M56 to sell (for silly money, though I didn't repeat that) but he was conviced he has not just one Ko-I-Noor but several.

There was no rancour or hostility in our exchange but he is obviously an idiot with no business sense so I gave up.

I really hope he does not achieve those ridiculous prices

Regards

Mark
PS If anyone does notice a decent Blumentarn Kaputze give me a shout will you please?

[HARRY THE MOLE]

On the other side of the coin - and nothing to do with DDR... I have my restored aircraft spade grip on eBay, and unlike some sellers, I go out of my way to accomodtae purchasers. There is one bloke that has been mithering me to death about it. He hasn't got the money, someone let him down on a deal with an Mp44 he was selling to get the cash for the grip... it's one of those modern GSG reproduction guns. So I told him to get in touch with me outside eBay, which he did... and he offered me the gun with £100, which I accepted - it wouldn't be a problem to move the gun on. This morning I got an email off him requesting that I meet him in Birmingham to exchange the goods as he didn't want to risk sending it through the post. Unless he changes his mind it will be end of deal as far as I'm concerned, I'm driving nowhere under the current situation!

Cheers,
Steve

[Watchdog]

On the other side of the coin - and nothing to do with DDR... I have my restored aircraft spade grip on eBay, and unlike some sellers, I go out of my way to accomodtae purchasers. There is one bloke that has been mithering me to death about it. He hasn't got the money, someone let him down on a deal with an Mp44 he was selling to get the cash for the grip... it's one of those modern GSG reproduction guns. So I told him to get in touch with me outside eBay, which he did... and he offered me the gun with £100, which I accepted - it wouldn't be a problem to move the gun on. This morning I got an email off him requesting that I meet him in Birmingham to exchange the goods as he didn't want to risk sending it through the post. Unless he changes his mind it will be end of deal as far as I'm concerned, I'm driving nowhere under the current situation!

Cheers,
Steve

Hahaha! Warrington to Brum, a brisk cycle ride to a man of your mettle I'll wager

Seriously Steve, he sounds like a right "Tyre kicker". You could get to J8 / M6 only to have him say "Oh no I thought it was J6" The crass cheek of some people never ceases to amaze me

My saga continues and the German bloke came back with a whole lot of rubbish about the B/II being the "basis" for the M56 (12 years later) but nothing to support his theory that this was an evolution rather than an inspiration and re-hash of the earlier concept while still implying that his comment about the M56 being "the last WH helmet" is correct. Then he said I could make an offer for the Kaputze I did make an offer but if he accepts I am in two minds and will be very careful.

I have always called a spade a spade (that's a reference to spade versus shovel before anyone thinks it is anything other) and I don't like it when other don't so we shall see

Now about this cycle ride to Birmingham

Regards

Mark

[HARRY THE MOLE]

I wish you well with the Kaputze Mark... I think that my deal may be 'Kaput' and I will end up re-listing the item. Never has a single piece of militaria caused me so much aggro on ebay, last time it was an Aussie that mithered me for the best part of two weeks about it. He wanted it, but there was always another question... and I got so sick of it that I removed it. I've only had it back on there since last Sunday, and I removed it again because some tosser absolutely assured me that he wanted it. But of course now I know he wants me to travel and meet him halfway. He must think that I run a Courier service!
Cheers,
Steve

[Watchdog]

Update.

Oh my God, he just quoted Wikipedia as his base source of information in response to my suggestion he read Ludwig Baer

I get the impression of someone with less experience/knowledge than he credits himself with

I left him with a simple mathematical solution and wished him "Be lucky".

What a doomer but I must admit that by the end I was "pulling his chain" just a little

Regards

Mark