Q64 M40 ND DN522 attic find (ex-whitewash?)

[PotatoDigger]

Hey all,
I am pleased to present you this very nice Q64 ND M40 which just came in today with an hkp66 ND M42 shell, both straight from an attic, uncleaned.
The M40 is in little used condition as it is a late war helmet with a 1944 dated liner.
I bought those two helmets for a very fair price of 250€ off of fleabay of all places, the pictures were not good at all and when I showed the pictures to fellow collectors they thought the liner was a reproduction but I was rather sure it wasn't.
I added the chinstrap myself, it is an unused late war RB Nr. marked chinstrap which fits the helmet very nicely.
To me it seems like the helmet might have had a whitewash applied to it since there are many remnants of something white on the outside and also some plashes of white on the inside.
I will post the M42 in a bit, too.
The split pins are a little loose from wear but not too loose and I also attached pictures of the split pins.
The inside of the liner was full of spider webs which i have since removed and the felt lining has unfortunately been attacked by those spiders or moths as well.
Nevertheless,
I hope you like this one as much as I do (this is also my first un-messed with helmet)
Luis

[PotatoDigger]

..More pictures

[Bavarian]

As I told a very great example of history
What this helmet have seen
I like it
Best regards
Bavarian

[MAP]

Looks like it could of have had a wash. but difficult to tell and I see no evidence of it around the pins. So I would guess without having it in hand that it is just age/exposure.

The rivets look awfully minty compared to the helmet paint but the split pins are flat and have some nice rust on them. Can't be sure if the liner is goat/Sheep or pig skin. The grain appears to be nice and fine leading me to think its goat/sheep skin. Would have also expected a pigskin liner. But not unheard of. Could just be my eyes.

Over all I like it!

[PotatoDigger]

Thank you for your comments Bavarian and MAP,
I understand you concerns with the split pins looking very new, but I think it might be down to the fact they have smooth paint and the rest of the helmet is textured meaning that dirt can accumulate a lot better in there, remember that I didn't clean this helmet with anything wet, I just brushed over it a little.
Also, if you compare the paint on the split pins to the paint on the inside, it is identical, besides, one of the split pins also has some spider gunk behind it, not sure if anyone would go above and beyond to fake decades of sitting in an attic with spiders living in it.
Also take in mind this helmet wasn't used much, there are very few scratches etc. in the paint and the liner is almost mint condition.
Anyway, that's just what I'd like to add.
Luis

[MAP]

No worries Luis. I wasn't bashing it, just pointing out a few things that people would look at and providing some support (my view) as to why I like it.

[PotatoDigger]

No worries Luis. I wasn't bashing it, just pointing out a few things that people would look at and providing some support (my view) as to why I like it.

Yeah, all good, sorry if it seemed like I got a little defensive or anything
Luis

[AndyM35]

Hi Luis,

Nice helmet. I think you may be right about it potentially having a white wash applied at some stage.

I have similar concerns as MAP regarding the liner and pins. For me the the overall condition and the liner is not commensurate with the overall wear of the helmet shell and the paint on the liner pins is a just a little too dark for my liking. The shell looks like it has seen heavy use while the liner does not. You can expect a different shade on the pin heads but for me these are a little too dark. Perhaps the liner was replaced late war?

Overall I like it.

Andy

[Adravor]

Nice Helmets, and you got them at a very good price! Congrats!
I agree with Andy, the liner looks newer then the Helmet itself, a later war replacement could be possible, if the helmet really had once whitewash it sure saw much action, so a replacement could be plausible.

Regards,
Adravor

[PotatoDigger]

Well, given that the helmet itself is late war production I'm not completely sure, also the helmet isn't that used, it doesn't have many scratches in it, as I said I think it's due to the textured nature of the paint that it looks like that. If I were to remove the white stuff from the surface I think it wouldn't be as big a contrast.
I think it's best if you take the rear split pin and surrounding area as an example because it seems to not have much white stuff in that area. There the contrast isn't that big.
But maybe it is a late war replacement for all I know, would be interesting, too.
The shell itself just seems to have some rust bleeding through from being stored not too well, same goes with the M42 shell I posted that came with this helmet.
Also the split pin in the first picture is angled a bit downwards so it could also be down to lighting making it appear like that since there was no daylight out anymore.
I'll hopefully be able to take better pictures outside tomorrow or this weekend if the weather allows it.
Luis

P.S. I of course do see what you mean regarding the split pins, I'm just adding in what I think