Austrian M17 transitional helmet

**HARRY THE MOLE** · 05-07-2010, 08:29 PM

I have just obtained an Austrian model 1917 transitional helmet which is actually in better condition that the photographs suggest. Once again my dreaded flash has tended to make the rust look far worst than it actually is!

There is probably about 65% of the original paint remaining to the outer shell. The 'birdie' decal is about 90% intact, but faded. On the right side is evidence of the tricolour shield, but the top section is white. Can anyone advise what it may have been? The inside of the shell is stamped... 64 - the size, and on the top outside of the shell is stamped the number... 171. Can anyone explain what this might mean?

The inner band of the helmet is in a sorry state, and has been repaired at some stage, and could actually do with repairing again. I don't know much about liners, so if this is the correct liner or not I don't know. But I would think if someone has taken the trouble to try and repair it - it probably is. The band (what's left of it) carries the makers mark of... SCHUBERTH-WERKE and is dated 1937. I think the chinstrap is a repro, and its probable that the rivets are replacements. I summise that the originals were probably damaged when the inner band was removed to repair. For all it's faults, it is still a very interesting and scarce helmet. As always, opinions - good and bad are welcome!

Harry.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 05-07-2010 08:29 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**Schwerpunkt** · 05-07-2010, 09:35 PM

Looks all correct Harry , the other decal is indeed a tricolor in my opinion. The colors just disappeared leaving only the backing paper sticking to the helmet.

**HARRY THE MOLE** · 05-07-2010, 09:50 PM

by Schwerpunkt

Looks all correct Harry , the other decal is indeed a tricolor in my opinion. The colors just disappeared leaving only the backing paper sticking to the helmet.

Any idea's about the number on the top?

**Schwerpunkt** · 05-08-2010, 08:12 AM

by HARRY THE MOLE

Any idea's about the number on the top?

They are lot numbers as you can find on German helmets on the inside skirt. I believe the letter is a factory code.

**oradour** · 05-08-2010, 11:55 AM

HARRY THE MOLE , the stamp on the top on the top of the helmet (usually stamped on inside of crown, i have occasionally seen stamped on the outside) will be the batch number of the steel used by the maker to stamp the helmet out of (peculiar to Imperial helmets), to the maker it usually identifies the rolling mill.

**helmet2id** · 05-08-2010, 10:23 PM

Is the crescent around the lot numbers on the top a repair of battle damage? If so, it certainly looks to have been period done. Overall, a nice representative Austrian Transitional, which are getting harder and harder to find these days. Cheers, Jim G.

**HARRY THE MOLE** · 05-09-2010, 10:13 AM

by helmet2id

Is the crescent around the lot numbers on the top a repair of battle damage? If so, it certainly looks to have been period done. Overall, a nice representative Austrian Transitional, which are getting harder and harder to find these days. Cheers, Jim G.

Hi Jim,
To be honest, I really have no idea! It looks as though it's taken a few knocks to the top in it's life. But looking at the metal, and the wear to the metal, I would suspect that the knocking-out of these dents would probably have been done in it's service life. The crescent you refer to on the top does not show up on the inside. When I first saw that, I presumed it was just rust-staining. But now I'm not so sure!

Harry.