Nervous Newbie needing knowledge on 1 (of2) inherited oddball painted and altered German stahlhelms
Hi, y’all! Thank you in advance for your time and patience needed to read this, and thanks for any knowledgeable info, suggestions, opinions, critiques, advice, etc. that any of you have the willingness to share. I have actually researched and educated myself over the last several weeks about odd knives, bayonets, German Nazi pins etc., but lately I have been obsessed with 2 German WWII stahlhelms. I know maybe enough to know the basic beginnings maybe of what I possibly have so I don’t feel like a total idiot posting these shells. Ok…so…
My dad was a funny, angry, loving, disturbed (for legitimate reasons), hard-core Marine Corps Vietnam Vet, 2 tours/Purple Hearts, quite eccentric, talented, more often intoxicated than not :), collector of many collections of things. Sgt. James Edward Weiland…I always knew he was interested in German (Nazi) militaria, stamps, etc. since I could remember, but I never once saw these stahlhelms. Not until just recently. I’m 43 now. Dad died in 2011, exactly one month to the day after I had his only grandson, Dylan James, while I was serving in the Marine Corps and my now ex-husband was deployed with the Corps. Tough year.
Anyway, Dad built this awesome glass front gun cabinet when he was real young, before he quit school in 8th grade, and it sat in his home (my childhood home) in the same spot for more than 40 years while the house literally but gradually fell down around it. I inherited the cabinet filled with such a variety of personal items and possibly collectible items, but I’ve never emotionally been able to go through it. It ‘s been in Dylan’s (my son’s) room since he and I moved home to stay with my mom in 2015. No one ever messed with it. Then, mom decided recently Dylan was old enough and needed it, so I gave the go ahead to unpack and store what was inside into other containers. Anyway, 2 very different oddly painted stahlhelms were in there, and they have since been driving me a bit crazy. I’ve never held one or studied them until recently. It’s quite addicting. I just don’t know if I’m excited or disappointed or what…
I think this first shell (relic?) is a civic style Beaded M35, maybe early wartime combat-made bc of the seemingly separate vent pieces and the fact the edge is folded under quite nicely. Also, “Q68” is stamped on the inner left side by the odd chinstrap remnant, and the lot # 20372 is stamped on the rear bottom inside of the helmet. All that makes sense. Then….the really really old RED and rusting paint!? The really really old rusted square nuts with their small rounded rusted flat-drive screws (not symmetrically added) that are holding on unusual and somewhat old non-leather chinstrap pieces? AND…omg, Just tonight while looking ONE MORE TIME around the vents with a flashlight, I SAW A SMALL AREA slightly to the lower left of the right side vent that has chipped away that might actually show a shade of GREEN!? I took a pic. Maybe I’m just seeing funny bc my eyes are so strained. 🙂 Thanks again for looking! And I’m SO grateful for ANY help or responses, opinions, suggestions, whatever… I’m an artist, so I basically need to know should I keep it for a possible collector that MAY want it at some point? OR do I keep it and restore it?…Maybe come up with a really creative and intriguing way to utilize it as a work of art? Please make sure you see the shell that will be my next post. It’s odd and very different from this one.
Thank y’all, and have an awesome day!
~Jaime Weiland
Uploaded files:
- You need to login to have access to uploads.
A few more pics…
Uploaded files:
- You need to login to have access to uploads.
Welcome to the forum and I hope we can give some help here. It is difficult to say exactly what you have here. You are right however, it is an M35 beaded non combat helmet but it has had some extensive post war modifications. Obviously missing the original liner, and the straps are something rigged up by someone - maybe a biker? - in order to to wear it probably. Most of these were painted dark blue at the factory although a few were painted green and as you say, we see some green under the black paint but can't tell if that is original factory green paint or not. The red is a mystery although I believe there were a few instances when helmets were painted red for firemen to use at airfields but that is usually the whole helmet, not just the skirt. Looks like a band of cloth was around the middle at some point as you can see some imprint in the green paint, or mabe just a band of green paint. No clue or logical explanation for the 3 different colors being done war time. The good news is, the shell is original, it's a large size which most collectors like, and there is probably original factory paint under the other colors.
There is really no reason to try to restore it, you will never be able to make it appear original. The one thing I would do is remove the screws that hold the chinstrap remnants in place, I think it would look better without. Otherwise just enjoy it as a unique piece of history with a post war life as well.
Cheers, Terry
😀 Thanks so much, Terry, for your insight and input, as well as your advice. My dad obviously had a certain fondness for it as well as the other shell i posted about. They’re sentimental in a big way, but I’m like my mom and would want to artfully repurpose them :). But I’ll keep’em a while and see if anyone else would rather have them as they are…..before i stick a fern in one and put it on my porch LOL! Just kidding… I really do appreciate your time and response. Take care.
~Jaime W.
Hello Jaime , I completely agree with Terry.