Helmet values

[VIKINGGB]

Help all, I’m new to this area of collecting, and clearly there are many pitfalls to navigate. The pricing of helmets is difficult to grasp. I know that, in general terms, an item is worth what someone will pay for it, but there seems to be massive discrepancies in pricing when it comes to helmets. I am in the market for a good quality M35 DD army helmet. For example, the below helmet is up for $3,250. After searching the established dealers, I have no idea whether this is inflated or a good investment. Assuming an item is genuine, is there an accepted basic system of valuation, or is it a case of negotiating with the seller? I suppose that can only come with experience and knowledge in time.

[PaddyD00]

Hi Friend. You kind of answered your own question . It is what you are willing to pay for it. This is a really nice helmet. And in this condition a top shelf double decal Heer helmet. Now I started collecting at the beginning of the year seriously. I got in nice shape untouched examples from the beginning (no relics or any of that). But nothing super fancy either. Nice quality starter helmets. As time goes on. And I realize this hobby is not a passing phase for me but a true passion. Then I up the ante with the quality and the price of helmets. I first wanted to get my hands on helmets and study them. Fill out the ranks as it were. Before I personally made a bigger investment. These are just my thoughts and experiences. Hopefully they are helpful.
- Zach

[PaddyD00]

PS helmet may be a tad high. But no rip off in my opinion

[Adravor]

First off - this forum is not meant for price discussions but rather for discussion of orginality, i´m still gonna answer, as i understand your situation, as i have been a total newbie not long ago.

Paddy has pointed a few good things out, its always a good idea to start slow, and work your way up. I´ve been collecting for about a year now, and the best teacher is really experience. I´ve studied the helmet market in germany, although i rather buy saltier helmets, so at a different price range then a DD like your example, and i´ve learned much about the prices and the helmets itself.

There are many types of collectors, some, like me, have a rather small budget and love the hunt for good but rather cheap helmets, some collect relics, some collect the high priced stuff, what you would want to pay for a helmet depends on the money you have, and the interest you have in that item. I personally would never spend 3.000 Dollars on a helmet, as i simply dont have the money, and rather like saltier pieces, as these pieces dont have less historical value then the mint ones in my opinion (As long as they havent been Post-War screwed with)
You can get nice, honest and battelworn not DD pieces starting at arround 500 Dollars, and if you are not 100% sure if you will keep on collecting, you could definitly get a nice, SD example in this price range.

If you are absolutely sure you want a DD and you are willing to spend this kind of money, its your choice. The price is in the area i´ve seen most DD´s, but definitly not a cheap one. I would recommend starting a different post, asking for Opinions about originaliy if you decide you want to buy it.

Regards,
Adravor

[MilitariaMatt]

EDIT: plz disregard, I just found the answer

Apologies for sidetracking; does anyone know who runs the GermanWarHelmet site? Is he a member here?

[TWS]

EDIT: plz disregard, I just found the answer

Apologies for sidetracking; does anyone know who runs the GermanWarHelmet site? Is he a member here?

Ken Bolton runs that site. I do not believe he is a member here.

[MAP]

Ken is a member here

[VIKINGGB]

First off - this forum is not meant for price discussions but rather for discussion of orginality, i´m still gonna answer, as i understand your situation, as i have been a total newbie not long ago.

Paddy has pointed a few good things out, its always a good idea to start slow, and work your way up. I´ve been collecting for about a year now, and the best teacher is really experience. I´ve studied the helmet market in germany, although i rather buy saltier helmets, so at a different price range then a DD like your example, and i´ve learned much about the prices and the helmets itself.

There are many types of collectors, some, like me, have a rather small budget and love the hunt for good but rather cheap helmets, some collect relics, some collect the high priced stuff, what you would want to pay for a helmet depends on the money you have, and the interest you have in that item. I personally would never spend 3.000 Dollars on a helmet, as i simply dont have the money, and rather like saltier pieces, as these pieces dont have less historical value then the mint ones in my opinion (As long as they havent been Post-War screwed with)
You can get nice, honest and battelworn not DD pieces starting at arround 500 Dollars, and if you are not 100% sure if you will keep on collecting, you could definitly get a nice, SD example in this price range.

If you are absolutely sure you want a DD and you are willing to spend this kind of money, its your choice. The price is in the area i´ve seen most DD´s, but definitly not a cheap one. I would recommend starting a different post, asking for Opinions about originaliy if you decide you want to buy it.

Regards,
Adravor

Thanks for the reply. The post was meant as a general comment about the wildly varying pricing that I have observed when researching helmets that are commercially available. I was and am interested to understand why this is. The photos I posted were an example of the point I was making. Understanding if something is genuine is obviously vital in this field, assessing the value is too surely? Currently I don’t have the knowledge to do that. I think you’re saying I can’t/shouldn’t do this on the forum? Thanks for taking the the time to reply in any case.

[VIKINGGB]

Hi Friend. You kind of answered your own question . It is what you are willing to pay for it. This is a really nice helmet. And in this condition a top shelf double decal Heer helmet. Now I started collecting at the beginning of the year seriously. I got in nice shape untouched examples from the beginning (no relics or any of that). But nothing super fancy either. Nice quality starter helmets. As time goes on. And I realize this hobby is not a passing phase for me but a true passion. Then I up the ante with the quality and the price of helmets. I first wanted to get my hands on helmets and study them. Fill out the ranks as it were. Before I personally made a bigger investment. These are just my thoughts and experiences. Hopefully they are helpful.
- Zach

Thanks Zach, that’s very helpful thanks. I’m just trying to find my feet a little I suppose. I may be trying to run before I can walk with hindsight. Good advice, thanks.

[Mauser202]

I am not sure my some get hung up discussing the price of items on collecting forums. I am sure there are many reasons for this, but I don’t think the ones I can think of outweigh the discouraging affect this has on new collectors that are on a budget.

It’s not a great feeling to buy something and find out you have payed too much, especially if you’re like me on a tight budget. Imagine buying a new Ford car and finding out you payed the price of a Mercedes. Unfortunately militaria doesn’t have a MSRP. Things are limeted in quanity, unique and can have many different people seeking them out. This makes prices of any collectible vary greatly due to geography, uneducated people who buy, people with more money than patience, and interest changes in the hobby.

Your best bet is to develop a few friendships with respected collectors that can help guide you on price. There is a general norm for most items at a given time, but ultimately you pay what it’s worth to you after some research.

This has worked for me well, my one rule is due to job volatility I don’t typically buy a collectible or a gun or even a guitar at current market value. I want to be able to get back at least what I have in it if I needed to sell it. Besides a tight budget, this process means I have a small collection but really enjoy the hunt.