Norwegian reissued helmet.

[Strawballs]

Norwegian/German decals M40
Hi there,I'm new to the forum so hello to all.I was hoping someone might be able to add some insight on this helmet shell I picked up recently.The stamps are Q64 and 872.From the partial remains on the decals I think it's a repurposed Norwegian M40.
On the images you can see the German decals are underneath the Norwegian ones(what little are left that is)It seems to be SS and party decals.Thanks folks
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Darren

[alexander11]

Hi Darren,

With this particular helmet you have to ask why the decals have been scratched off of it, because they have. They’ve not just worn off. If the owner felt they added value he wouldn’t have done that, so that tells you what the WW2 decals were.

What you’ve got here is a good original shell, the maker is Quist & it’s a size 64. Would benefit from being dipped, lightly sanded & repainted with a good quality leather liner & chinstrap fitted. The only problem with doing so could be that the cost involved would be more than the helmet is worth. But that’s just what I would do with this one.

Personally I would source the correct Norwegian pea green spray paint & try to find the highest quality Norwegian decals on the market to restore this one. In my opinion this helmet is best served as a Norwegian helmet because that’s what it’s been for most of its life.

[Adravor]

I highly disagree with alexander. Definitly do not overpaint it again! I would leave it exactly as it is!

That there is a DD M40 SS helmet under the norwegian paint is absolutely facinating, and makes this an interesting piece. Overpainting it again would ruin the DD SS Decals, and thus what is most special about this specific helmet, on the other hand trying to remove the rest of the norwegian paint, to try and free the SS Decals completly would have the chance to ruin the decals in the process.

So i would just leave it as it is, as a nice example of what these helmets became after, and what they where in the war together. You can basically see both existences this helmet had, enough of the SS Decals to identify it, enough of the Norwegian paint to see what it was after the war.



Repainting would ruin its historical, as well as financial worth completly. Regardless if overpainted, all SS Items fetch higher prices, and i am sure there are a lot of ppl who would pay twice the price of the shell, even with these overpainted decals.

[alexander11]

Erm, I get what you mean but doesn’t really make for a great display piece in this condition. Would benefit from some form of restoration.

The German WW2 decals or what remains of them are over the surface of the Norwegian pea green paint applied though. If you look close enough you can see that.

[Adravor]

Restoration in this case means destruction. I would ALWAYS recommend preservation over any restoration attempt.

Also to me it looks like the decals are under the paint, but better pics could clearify that.

[alexander11]

Restoration in this case means destruction. I would ALWAYS recommend preservation over any restoration attempt.

Also to me it looks like the decals are under the paint, but better pics could clearify that.

That’s very naive to think that these decals are under the paint. There’s a number of reasons why it was made to look that way. Because someone who had it was looking to make a quick buck. If they’re under the paint how come they look exactly the same as the Norwegian decal in their appearance then.

These are nothing more than the typical 1980’s stick on decals which have been treated with a heat gun & scraped away with a paint scraper to be made look like originals. And those stickers tend to leave an impression. So that is why it’s fooling you. These are nothing more than poor reproduction decals that have been heavily aged.

[alexander11]

To the original poster, Darren, lets be fully transparent here.

I saw this helmet one day after it had sold & I only missed it because the idiot that sold it entered it into the auction site as WW11 rather than WWII or WW2.

So that’s how this helmet was stolen away from me by the original poster. Because it didn’t come up in my search terms due to an idiot seller.

But to the original poster, just say you found a €1,000 diamond on the street, what would you do with it? You’d cash it right? You wouldn’t hoard it would you.

It’s exactly the same with this helmet, you found some junk in the street that happened to go up in value. If I was you I would sell it now unless you’re a serious collector.

Because I am & I would have carried out an extensive restoration on this helmet. Original WW2 liner & chinstrap would have been sourced & rust treated, then I would have had the surface preserved.

Instead it will just rust away to the point that it’s worthless. But that’s the way sometimes.

[Adravor]

So, what you are saying is. You are jealous that the seller above got this helmet, and not you. Thus you talk it bad, so you can again buy it for a cheaper price.
Did i understand you right there?

I do not wanna accuse you of anything, but thats what it sounds like to me. And if it is like this, i recommend you to change your mindset. He didnt steal it from you, he was just more lucky.

[alexander11]

So, what you are saying is. You are jealous that the seller above got this helmet, and not you. Thus you talk it bad, so you can again buy it for a cheaper price.
Did i understand you right there?

I do not wanna accuse you of anything, but thats what it sounds like to me. And if it is like this, i recommend you to change your mindset. He didnt steal it from you, he was just more lucky.

Come here right, let’s just say you are not a Collector, I reckon you are, I’m 99% certain that you are. But let’s pretend you’re not.

Just say you found some junk in the street. It just happened to go up in value. Does that make you a collector? What would you do? Hoard it even though you’re not a collector & have no interest in the history or it’s preservation. Why would you hoard it?

You’d sell it wouldn’t you? Cash it in. Sell it to someone who has another Norwegian re-issue to display it alongside & who carries out restoration which preserves it. Do you think I stripped down my Norwegian re-issue to see what decals are underneath? No I didn’t.

Do you think every time I sell something on that I hold the buyer to ransom? No I don’t. I am a very decent seller to other collectors & more often than not I’ll sell at cost price or at a slight loss to be decent to others who share the same hobby.

But people who are just looking to make a quick buck with very little appreciation for these items is what I see more increasingly. Does that make them collectors?

[MAP]

The photos leave much to be desired. I would like to see clear close ups. As hard as it might be to confirm, I'm not sure if the party decal is even real (and under or over the paint).

If not real...the helmet has been messed with.

But, if we gain comfort that the decals are legit and original to the helmet, then regardless of if they were scratched or wore off, this helmet should remain untouched and not restored.