German Helmet Vault

My little birds pointed me again towards many websites with fake helmets. Usually these helmets are posted for review on the forums I visit. Sometimes I blunder into them while browsing websites.

The fakes presented below are not earth shatteringly dangerous. A one on one comparison with the decal galleries on GHV can easily help to detect them as fakes.

Nonetheless , they are being sold as authentic WW2 decalled helmets.

SPANDAU MILITARIA

They take the top spot as they obviously have no clue how real authentic WW2 helmets should look like nor do they seem to care. This is one of the most atrocious websites I have come across in a long while. And they justly receive the golden turd award.

While they are pricing their ‘fakes’ below market price they seem to have a problem with saying that a helmet has been messed with. The biggest indicator is in fact their price.

Ever heard of authentic helmets being on 40% sale ? With the following flavor text :

GOOD CONDITION SINGLE DECAL M42 ARMY HELMET. PAINT HAS DARKENED WITH AGE. SOME HANDLING WEAR. GOOD LINER WITH CHIN STRAP. THE CHIN STRAP HAS BROKEN AND HAS BEEN GLUED BACK TOGETHER. ET.66 SHELL

They have more such examples in their inventory.

This M42 ‘supposed SS’. Yes it is only 850 GBP but no mention of it being a blatant fake. It is not even worth the discounted price of 510 GBP.

GOOD CONDITION UNTOUCHED HELMET. THE DECAL A LITTLE FADED BUT BASICALLY COMPLETE. MOST OF ITS PAINT FINISH REMAINING WITH LIGHT RUST STAINING OVERALL. SIZE 66 SHELL. MID-WAR PIG SKIN LINING

Now you know that they have an allergy to say the word reproduction or fake you can rest assured that the entire inventory is make believe.

Here’s a SE/hkp M40 SS camo FULLY NAMED and researched for just 2000 GBP , No ! Now discounted to 1200 ! Finding a name in the Kriegsgraber database does not mean this helmet belonged to that person. There is more to research than just looking up a name and saying “that is him”.

HISTORIC WAFFEN-SS UNTERSCHARFUHRER’S STEEL HELMET. A SINGLE DECAL M.40 HELMET, FIELD GREEN INSIDE. THE OUTSIDE WITH A CIRCA 1944 NORMANDY CAMPAIGN THREE COLOUR CAMO FINISH GOING OVER THE SS DECAL. OWNERS INITIALS “HK” PAINTED TO THE INSIDE. HIS NAME, “H.KERL SS” WRITTEN TO THE LINER. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS TO BE HEINZ KERL WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION IN NORTHERN FRANCE AND BURIED AT THE GERMAN MILITARY CEMETERY IN LA CAMBE.  LINER A LITTLE DRY BUT COMPLETE. OUTSIDE SHOWS THE USUAL FIELD WEAR INCLUDING A BALD PATCH TO THE TOP. NO PITTING. THE MAKER / SIZE MARK OBSCURED BY THE “HK” INITIALS AT THE BACK.

Spandau has many similar items and they are just hoping to saddle one poor bugger up with an expensive piece of post war created crap.

Weitze

Be aware of the fake Austrian Polizei helmet. You can clearly see it is a raster printed digital fake.

He also has an NS M42 single decal Police (without close-up) you need to watch out for.

ISMILITARIA / Strachan militaria

Strachan Militaria specialises in original militaria from Germany, Great Britain, the United States, Italy, Russia, France and Spain from the major conflicts of the 20th century.

Here is their top fake. Priced at 4550 GBP.

• Fake shell
• Fake decal
• Fake liner

Continuing our journey

Smack down ! Fake wire camo for 3500 $ at Militariacollectibles.

It is not a hard one, starting with the fake Luftwaffe eagle and the extensive wire/shell contact damage. Could not grab a close-up of the decal but trust me. You can zoom in on their website. It’s the well known ‘easy fake’ adler I covered in my previous blog article.

ANOTHER FAKE POLICE TRANSITIONAL

Regimentals UK also gets a spot in this newsletter of fakes with very easy to spot fake decals which tried to copy Austrian style Police decals.

Horrible but yours for 950 GBP.

PHIL MILLER COLLECTION OF “RESTORED” HELMETS

After this collector passed away a few years ago (I cannot recollect the exact year) his collection was rapidly sold off. The collection was made up of mostly transitional style helmets (M16, M18 and Austrian style) that were professionally repainted and redecalled. Most of the helmets received SS decals paired with the party shield. Needless to say some of the helmets were sold or at least were tried to be passed off as authentic pieces.

A lot of collectors including myself saved the website photos in order to keep an eye out should these helmets come up for sale again.

A couple of days ago someone spotted a helmet for sale from this collection. The SS decal is a typical ‘crushed glass’ Pocher fake.

Here is another example. Repainted , fake decals but good shell , liner and strap.

That’s all for now.

Thanks for your continued support for my website !

Frank