With camo helmets being sold standard at 3 to 4K prices it pays to be extremely careful. Only 5 to 10% of camo’s for sale are worth such a high price. So you will have to make sure you select the right camo worthy of the price tag.
And if you decide to break the bank make sure what you buy is real and advertised correctly.
Example 1 : The concocted one
This camo shell without liner turned up at Lux militaria with liner and wire camo for a spectacular price which they are known for.
Turned into this… A helmet no collector wants.
Example 2 : The fake one
Still in 2025 we see camo helmets with rather easy to see fake decals. This dealer IMCS has notoriously small photos and no close-ups on his website but even then the fake Big foot decal is easy to see.
Fake big foot on a SE shell
Example 3 : The run of the mill fake one
For only 1800 euros surely this must be a good deal ? It’s cheaper because of the damaged liner right ? Nope.
This is a typical case of where the interior patina on the inside absolutely does not match that of the outside. Always a huge red flag and the pristine camo paint with orange rust doesn’t help. One from Weitze.
Example 4 : The auction fake
Buying camouflaged helmets from auctions is probably the most dangerous thing you can do as Auctions houses do not give refunds.
The helmet listed below is part of the auction listed above. Luckily someone posted detailed photos on the Wehrmacht awards forum.
It’s a fake Luftwaffe decal with post war camo paint.
Conclusion
There is a lot to learn about camo’s so it is best not to be naive. There’s only one category of camo helmets worth your money and collectors call those one lookers.
Patina, honest wear and tear, decals that can be authenticated even when partially overpainted all play a big role in authenticating camo’s.
Forget about dealers advertising camo helmets as SS camo, Kriegsmarine camo and other highly sought offered examples when there is no trace of decal visible. Remember even lot number matches with SS or Kriegsmarine do not necessarily mean the camo helmet is of the same branch.
Especially with Kriegsmarine camo helmets I see there is a trend when a small paint speck over the decal is missing showing a hint of gold (more often it is toned) dealers call it a Kriegsmarine camo like the example below.
Just looking through a loupe at such a small piece of the decal you can never call it as Kriegsmarine. It’s a gamble.
Case in point is this M40 ET light camo overpaint with heavily toned Heer decal.
Stick to what you can see for yourself and don’t get too caught up in brazen descriptions.
Happy hunting
Frank
Once again Frank – Brilliant detective work – as always. Thanks
This is an excellent short review. I began collecting in the early 90s when helmets were by most standards, cheap. My rough estimate is that no more than 8 to 9% of helmets at shows during that period when hundreds, if no thousands were available at the bigger shows (MAX at that time) were original camouflage examples. Where I live, we have a person notorious for selling high end fake camouflaged WH and FJ helmets. Great stuff. Please keep it coming.
Hi Frank
Fake camo helmets is the new «Champagne SS Rune» scandal. It just have not been fully exposed yet.
There is an «industy» churning out a lot of fake camo helmets which are sold at dealer sites. It has been going on for years.
Now camo helmets are more available than factory issue helmets. It was not like that 10 years ago.
A very informative and timely post Frank. These shitty scumbag dealers need to be exposed for what they are and weeded out of the gene pool! Don’t know how they sleep…..probably very comfortably.
Cheers,
AndyM
Excellent advice .. Thanks
Nice work Frank 🤘🏼
// A.L
Thanks Frank! The frauds need to be exposed and sometimes collectors lull themselves into thinking a particular dealer they have gotten a few good ones from would never sell a fraud. WRONG! Buy the piece, not the story or who is selling it!!
Thanks Frank…. Love to get a real one but to many fakes to take a chance so I dream
I think it’s a great article—thanks for sharing. I must say, I’m somewhat surprised that even (in some cases) well-regarded dealers fail to spot these issues, or perhaps knowingly or unknowingly sell such items as originals. It just goes to show that one should always remain cautious and make use of a trusted network of knowledgeable individuals. Sound advice remains: stay alert and don’t rely solely on reputation.
Regards,
Jac
Good article……The problem for “newbies” is where can you buy and be certain you are not being “had”.
Excellent article, have really enjoyed and learned a lot from your website!
Some great advice. Thanks, Frank.
Da’s gesproken met kennis van zaken. Proficiat
Thank you for your thoughts and insights; most of us would never notice the signs of it being a fake and would end up lambs to the slaughter!
Back in the early 1960’s we were involved with a company called “THE HELMET KING”, we imported hundreds of WWI and WWII helmets from Europe and sold them From $8.00 to $20.00 each depending on condition. Many of these helmets were 100% original and in very nice condition. Even back then we had certain dealers that would buy helmets with good decals and liners, they would then paint a nice camouflaged pattern on them and set them on the roof of their garage for a few months to age. These helmets are surely out there in somebody’s collection right now. It is for this and other reasons I only buy camo helmets from families of vets that brought them back. These fakers and crooked dealers have to be exposed and run out of the business !!!!
Hi Frank…David C. Thanks for your hard work. Have not gotten any emails such as this. Much appreciated
Excellent article, brief but detailed