Where do you source your helmets?

[DougB]

I started this thread as I am curious where some of these fake helmets being posted up for evaluation are coming from and where collectors are going to source their pieces of history.

There are sites where there are real helmets at fair prices that have honest descriptions about them.

Where do you source your helmets from typically?

Me, I network with other good collectors, check a couple of fora that have good honest helmets and a small selection of dealers that can get some real good ones from time to time.

[cricketchris1944]

I started this thread as I am curious where some of these fake helmets being posted up for evaluation are coming from and where collectors are going to source their pieces of history.

There are sites where there are real helmets at fair prices that have honest descriptions about them.

Where do you source your helmets from typically?

Me, I network with other good collectors, check a couple of fora that have good honest helmets and a small selection of dealers that can get some real good ones from time to time.

the collector guild.
friends from europe
summer vacation militaria
fleamartk in europe
Did you post this because of that junk SS helmet

[Schwerpunkt]

From what I have read most here are looking for mirages , cheap original helmets in the best possible condition.

The better helmets posted here are most of the time cheap fakes. The original ones are most of the time in almost ground dug condition. Not for me to judge what someone collects but helmets in VB condition won't get you much further in this interesting hobby.

I think most avoid even the good dealers because they are too expensive and venture out on local auction sites , ebay and the like. Those places only benefit the collector with experience because it is filled with higher end fakes.

In the end the less experienced collector looking to buy a nice original lid will have to buy from a fellow collector or a trustworthy dealer.

[stuka f]

.......

The original ones are most of the time in almost ground dug condition. Not for me to judge what someone collects but helmets in VB condition won't get you much further in this interesting hobby.

.....

Right you are.
But salty'ones could bring joy and be educational.
And when you say hobby; to me buying stuff that costs like half a mounth wage (for most of us....!!??) is not a hobby to me , but seems more like a buisness.
So when I buy my helmets it is not from expensive dealers; right again.
cheers
Kris

[DougB]

Did you post this because of that junk SS helmet

I posted this because as Frank says there is a lot of mirage chasing going on out there. I think collectors would be better served spending time educating themselves vs looking for cheap deals that simply dont exist. Knowledge is power and gets you far in this hobby.

Running after Chinese made copies and helmets painted in psychedelic colors last weekend is just a waste of time when the knowledge is right in front of everyone with the vast amount of excellent books and collectors willing to share in their knowledge available to the newer collectors out there.

As for helmets costing a half months salary that is not needed. A nice LW single decal in decent shape with original strap and liner recently sold for about $300 and was available to anyone with eyeballs and a mouse. There are a lot of helmets out there like that so anyone with any budget can enjoy real helmets vs chasing ghosts. The hobby is here to enjoy on any budget.

Spend idle time reading the books and studying originals. Then when you go to that flea market you wont have to worry about getting jobbed or wasting your time asking for better pics of a helmet with Spock SS decals.

As I said before, knowledge is power. Fakers take advantage of ignorance and misplaced passions, ie; those looking for that great deal.

[DougB]

Right you are.
But salty'ones could bring joy and be educational.
And when you say hobby; to me buying stuff that costs like half a mounth wage (for most of us....!!??) is not a hobby to me , but seems more like a buisness.
So when I buy my helmets it is not from expensive dealers; right again.
cheers
Kris

Kris, Frank didnt say you had to buy helmets that are half a months salary, he just said to partake in originals and know what your looking for. I know helmet collectors that collect nothing but $200-400 no decal helmets and guys that collect nothing but $25,000 double decal named and researched Q SS M35s in mint condition. To each his own. But from the relic hunter to the uber rare mint condition collector, each has their passions. I also know that a lot of collectors price can be more expensive sometimes than even the most expensive dealer. And that great auction house buy can be a black hole you just poured your money into.

$500 lost on a fake relic dressed up as a winter camo is $500 lost whereas $500 spent on a real SD reissue M40 Luftwaffe is $500 usually well spent.

I just know that trolling the auction houses vs trolling some of the better dealers out there, some of whom are not that expensive even, is maybe not the best approach to finding proper original examples to enjoy the hobby but maybe a source for frustration. As well what is being learned by posting fake camo after fake camo or fake SS after fake SS? Nothing as real examples must be found and studied.

Time spent on the real vs time spent on the fake is very important to further your knowledge.

And they say you dont get eggs looking outside the chicken coop.

[stuka f]

Knowledge is power indeed.
But a hobby to me is something you could do with your eyes shut something to relax and not to stress.

[DougB]

Knowledge is power indeed.
But a hobby to me is something you could do with your eyes shut something to relax and not to stress.

I agree that this hobby is to have fun!! Why else do it!

But unless helmets are free, they cannot be bought with the eyes shut or the hobby turns into stress, or a waste of time, or both which doesnt advance the hobby or make it very enjoyable correct?

[stuka f]

I agree that this hobby is to have fun!! Why else do it!

But unless helmets are free, they cannot be bought with the eyes shut or the hobby turns into stress, or a waste of time, or both which doesnt advance the hobby or make it very enjoyable correct?

I agree.
And I for one had the experience not so long ago with the DD WH helmet, it was on thise forum and the helmet forum, remember.
So no mint DD helmets for me anymore until the time I know the subject but I am not going to spend 8 hours a day reading about it to get on top of it, so if it comes , it comes.
Don't feel offended!!
I do appreciate the efforts of everyone on thise forum in order to improve everyones knowledge.
It is just that there are other things in live for me.
When I see you telling you would like to have the Croation helmet under a x time magnifier ....I think to my self thise is no hobby anymore...
Again no offense mend , I know there is big money involved to it , but that is where it goes wrong to me.
I like paintings as well, and even there you got all kind of prices, lets just say I stay at that level where no scieentific proofs are needed to get a good painting.And I also get my paintings at house clearings, fleemarkets and so on , not in the expensive auction houses.
Cheers
Kris

[oradour]

Me, I network with other good collectors, check a couple of forums that have good honest helmets and a small selection of dealers that can get some real good ones from time to time.

DougB, exactly....this has been my philosophy since the 1970's, a finite selection of trustworthy dealers and fellow collectors, made easier since the advent of the net....and I cannot back your statements regarding the gathering of knowledge enough...too many new/young collectors seem unwilling to amass a good variety of reference books on the subject they are collecting, although some are not cheap they will in the long run save them lots of cash !....knowledge is power... exactly ! as I have stated several times on this forum. There is nothing better than the sense of achievment when that ''special'' item is hunted down, obtained, and then appraised in the positive by fellow collectors !....it is even better when the said item is a bargain...however, sometimes it is necessary to go that extra mile, and invest in an expensive (within your financial reach!) item !