M16 camo helmet with skull ?? Reall??

[Irish1965]

Why don't you come over to Ciney Belgium on 28th of October. The biggest militaria fair of Europe.

Cheers Paul

[AndyM35]

Hi Chris,

It’s quite rare to get a nice original on eBay but they can be found but you really need to know what you’re looking for. I would suggest purchasing from a reputable dealer to begin with. That way you will have a nice original helmet that will allow you to study and get a feel for the patina and look of a 100+ year old helmet. Study the helmet posts in this thread and you will start to get a feel for what that sort of patina looks like. Arming yourself with some good reference works is another good way of getting a feel for patina. In their own right some of these books become collectible as well. I would recommend the five volume Feldzug series by the late Michael Baldwin in particular Vols 3-5. Ludwig Baer’s The German Steel Helmet 1916-1945 is also a great work to have. Always post here first until you gain more confidence - we all love looking at helmets so post away

Good luck and enjoy your collecting!
Andy

[2005burty]

Thanks both for your help the October thing sounds great in the mean time there is some reading to do! Actually I do know a reputable dealer, any you guys recommend ? I have spotted a couple of ebay stinkers at least, and back read some of this forumn. Many thanks again Andy and Irish..

[Irish1965]

Hi Burty,

Check out this website. I have seen a nice M18 and M16 shell

ratisbon's | Imperial Germany - M18 helmet - TJ66 | DISCOVER GENUINE MILITARIA, ANTIQUES & COINS

Cheers Paul

[AndyM35]

Ratisbon’s has some nice items but they have many hidden costs and they are quite expensive. I Know BSR Militaria often has some good WW1 steel helmets for sale:

German WWI Militaria

[2005burty]

Think i might go for that M18 on Ratisbons Paul.. seems a reasonable start then work back to M16 lol.. what do you guys think of this one on ebay bit different? ..

[Anderson]

Spend a couple of hours studying some of the old threads in the WRF forum would be time well spent. Knowledge is power, as they say and you can only learn by studying, so you know what you are looking at.

[AndyM35]

Unusual camo but doesn’t mean it’s not original although much better photos needed. The chinstrap looks like a replacement of some sort.

[sysyphus]

not good i can really tell you since i have seen this very helmet with more pictures posted on a Fb page.

[Irish1965]

A unique camo pattern. Never seen it. But again this picture isn't good enough to make a judgement. Some nice detailed close-ups would help. Inside, maker marks, liner etc.

Cheers Paul