In this edition I like to start with fake chinstraps added to good helmets. The easier Czech humpback fakes are occasionally sold together with good helmets. A good chinstrap adds good value to a helmet but a fake one will cost you. Keep your eyes open before clicking ‘add to basket’.
The helmet comes complete with a blackened leather chinstrap with a natural aluminum pronged buckle and retaining studs. Chinstrap has Koln makers mark with a 1941 date. Nice untouched helmet is a good large size.
Collectors Guild
The chinstrap looks great remaining completely intact and is maker marked “Luttringhausen & Co. Klon 1940”. The steel buckle works well.
Lakeside trader
BLACK CROSS MILITARIA
This SS helmet for sale for 3655 $ is orginally a no decal M42 that has the fake round bottom decal added.
WEITZE
Some dealers keep on finding their way back on this page. Weitze , the militaria version of Alibaba.com really needs to educate his team on how a real German helmet looks like or at least on how a real decals should look like. Here’s an authentic WW2 Czech helmet you don’t want to buy because some idiot stuck a fake decal on it.
This M34 which is also a nice original shell has been restored with a fake Heer decal , the tricolor could be good.
MILITARY ANTIQUES STOCKHOLM
This fake TENO helmet is in fact a denazified authentic WW2 feuerschutz helmet. These were produced in very large quantities and many fall prey to unscrupulous persons that add fake decals or painted insignias for monetary gain. You can still see the scraping marks of where the original decals were removed.
Germania Militaria
I never ever heard of this website before and maybe for the best , the website itself seems to have been coded right after the internet was invented. Navigating through the website is stressful and finding some helmets to review took me some time. Also the website is UNSAFE , it has no safety certificate. After reviewing the helmet inventory I must give this site an UNSAFE to buy from certificate on top.
This single decal transitional is for sale for 1850$ , the decal is a fake and so is the chinstrap.
The below ET M42 Waffen SS sports the Round bottom fake SS runes. Unfortunately already SOLD.
Here’s what the site owner wrote.
DESCRIPTION: Here is the 100-percent real thing; a fine Mod-1942 Waffen-SS helmet with the correct number and letter stamps. It’s complete with regulation chinstrap and pigskin liner. The decal is correct and you can be absolutely sure of authenticity. It was checked out by the experts at the S.O.S Show and no one, but no one, doubted anything about it at, and they were all impressed with it. You know how hard they are to come by and this is the best we have seen in many a year. Here is the one you can feel 100-percent comfortable with. No one can reasonably fault it and we will supply a letter of authentication with it. This is almost the ultimate and it is the ultimate for the collector who wants the true Waffen-SS combat helmet instead of the double decal or dress type. We are thrilled to find it and you will be thrilled to own it.
Germania Militaria
Let’s put Germania Militaria to rest with this horrible DRK helmet , fake decal and the ever present fake labels in such helmets.
As usual looking forward to your comments , also if you haven’t joined yet don’t forget to register at https://germanhelmetvault.com/forum/ my new platform for German WW2 helmets collectors. If you have questions about collecting helmets or a single helmet you can post it there or if you just want to share helmets from your collection.
See you there ,
Frank
Great work👍
Love Your posts.
Hi, I always thought that Lakeside Traders were quite good. Is this a one off for them and a genuine mistake or have they come on to the radar previously.
great article, what a minefield.
Cheers
Steff
Excuse my ignorance are both helmet chinstraps from Collectors Guild and Lakeside Trader both fake? if so can you explain why please
Many thanks
Another very informative post Frank.
Thanks,
Andy
Can you explain why the two chinstraps are fake please and I presume the two fakes are on the Collector’s Guild and Lakeside Trader pictures?
If so these are presumed to be two honest and reliable traders?
Hello Senchu , both chinstraps are called humpback fakes , buckles are bad reproduction and also the maker stamps are not correctly stamped. These chinstraps exist already since the nineties and can still be bought on fairs today for a mere 25 euros.
…some horrible laughable fakes in this article, TeNo and DRK are the top.
I love your articles. Have you done one that shows side by side original versus fake decals? Original versions of S decals next to fake Ss decal ,original Heer decals next to fake Heer decals,etc,etc.That would certainly help us collectors not to get burned AGAIN! I would like to send you photos of some of my helmets but I’m a bit embarrassed that most would be fakes. I guess any hobby can get expensive but when it gets expensive because you get ripped off doesn’t make it fun!
Hello Philip , the best way to study decals is first to learn which original decal designs fit with which maker. By that alone you will be able to easily dismiss a fake. There are too many fake designs , 99,9% of which are very obviously flawed IF you know the authentic decals. If I think it would be a benefit I would have done it a long time ago. Feel free to post your example on my community. https://germanhelmetvault.com/forum/
Thanks for your reply Frank about spotting original or fake SS decals. As far as reference books you might recommend would you recommend the volume one and two books by Kelly Hicks ,SS helmets A collectors guide? They have a lot of close up photos of different SS decals from the different makers. Any other books you can recommend would be greatly appreciated.
Philip
thank you schwerpunkt73
Nice article as usual Frank. Thanks for your efforts helping the collectors understand real from fake. Best regards, Jac
Hi, what do you think about MILITARY ANTIQUES STOCKHOLM, are they trustworthy?
Like most dealers it’s a mix of good and bad.