PASGT KEVLAR HELMET COLLECTABLE FOR THE FUTURE ?

[ArchangelDM]

Hi all

Been a while , been working 14 hour days at the moment so no rest for the wicked, ok i picked this up off of ebay its a PASGT Kevlar helmet used in Operation Desert Storm so its the first Kevlar helmet produced in the 80s and are now being fazed out as im told. Please can some tell me if i got a good deal and if these are the collectables of the future, im thinking war on terror these in the next 30years could be a good investment. Also i grabbed a usmc camo with a hand drawn pic of a pig and written underneath PIG WHEELS any military personel that knows what that means please help.

Any replys on my thread would be greatly appreciated

 

real/fake let me know

Regards as always and god bless

 

Dean

[ArchangelDM]

Also i paid $76 usd

[AK101]

Nice, looks real AFAIK.

 

I trip over them at the flea markets here. Seen em as low as $20 and the crazies asking as high as $100. Unless they are an ACH/MICH I don't usually give em a second look around here....but I'm not in merry ol' England either....

[ArchangelDM]

Nice, looks real AFAIK.

 

I trip over them at the flea markets here. Seen em as low as $20 and the crazies asking as high as $100. Unless they are an ACH/MICH I don't usually give em a second look around here....but I'm not in merry ol' England either....

 

 

AFAIK DOES THAT MEAN FAKE please say nooooooooooooooooooooo Also do u know what a pig wheels means ?

Thanks

Dean

[Sabrejet]

Hello Dean. It's a regular PASGT. The sweatband looks mint. Is it a kosher PASGT sweatband? The reason I ask is because I've seen them fitted with NOS M1 type sweatbands. PASGT sweatbands look similar but have crocodile clips which fasten with a small loop.

 

Ian

[ArchangelDM]

AFAIK DOES THAT MEAN FAKE please say nooooooooooooooooooooo Also do u know what a pig wheels means ?

Thanks

Dean

Lol it means asaik lol god im tired

[Sabrejet]

AFAIK = As Far As I'm Concerned!!

[m1ashooter]

I think if you are a collector of US helmets then having one is a must.

[ArchangelDM]

Hello Dean. It's a regular PASGT. The sweatband looks mint. Is it a kosher PASGT sweatband? The reason I ask is because I've seen them fitted with NOS M1 type sweatbands. PASGT sweatbands look similar but have crocodile clips which fasten with a small loop.

 

Ian

 

 

Hi Ian how are u mate, the seller gets them direct from the military so im guessing its a new un issued one ? seller seems genuine so i hope so

[Sabrejet]

I'm fine thanks Dean. This is what you need...

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?u...p;x=14&y=15

 

 

Ian :thumbsup:

[sgtdorango]

Looks good to me!....the sweatband looks correct too, from the pics it looks like nylon material.....you should also be able to find a date and manufacturer on the kevlar pot on the inside somewhere, the large M in the top stands for Medium size....if you are interested in the Kevlars, theres a nice book about them from Mark Reynosa you should pic up!....and you can always find desert camo covers and bands etc here or on ebay......mike :thumbsup:

[ArchangelDM]

Looks good to me!....the sweatband looks correct too, from the pics it looks like nylon material.....you should also be able to find a date and manufacturer on the kevlar pot on the inside somewhere, the large M in the top stands for Medium size....if you are interested in the Kevlars, theres a nice book about them from Mark Reynosa you should pic up!....and you can always find desert camo covers and bands etc here or on ebay......mike :thumbsup:

 

 

As always i have fantastic people on this site that have the knowledge to help :0 thank you all

[ArchangelDM]

:thumbsup:

I'm fine thanks Dean. This is what you need...

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?u...p;x=14&y=15

Ian :thumbsup:

 

 

:thumbsup: Thanks Ian i have another querie for you i will email now if thats ok mate

[Longbranch]

An M1 sweatband in a PASGT helmet isn't necessarily incorrect. I've picked up a few that were completely original, and they had the M1 sweatbands in them. I've also seen later type PASGT sweatbands in helmets with the older type suspension (yes, there are many different variations in PASGT helmets and components). There are also several different styles of clips for the PASGT sweatbands, including ones that fasten with the loop, ones that fasten by placing a tab into a hole, and ones that use velcro.

 

Your helmet looks perfectly fine, though adding a helmet band with "cat eyes" would complete it. Locally, I've purchased these for as little as $3, and they tend to not sell for anything over $60. A nice, and VERY rare XL sized PASGT (about 1,000 made in the early 90s) priced at $60 hasn't sold in a local surplus shop for 6+ months. Another Large sized PASGT in nice condition, complete with Desert Storm era "chocolate chip" camo cover hasn't sold at a local flea market for $40. I couldn't sell a perfect, complete, unissued condition medium PASGT setup in Desert Storm fashion for $60 at the same flea market.

 

Right now, they're not collectible. Considering that they pretty much last forever, won't rust away, and that there are LOTS of them around, I wouldn't expect the average PASGT to become collectible anytime soon. Nice, complete, battle-worn helmets with provenance to Iraq/Afghanistan war vets will have some value, however. Of course, this will also open itself up to faking in the future.

[man860]

Nice clean looking PASGT helmet!

 

I try to pick up any PASGT or MICH helmet that can be attributed to a particular soldier or event. I have one PASGT brought back from Somalia that still has red dirt in the liner (another reason NOT to clean!) and cover and with graffiti on the cover. I recently picked up a MICH directly from the vet, with pictures of him wearing the helmet just before going on a night raid with some SF guys.

 

While these helmets may not be "collectible, $-wise" they are relatively cheap and if purchased from the vet, well you have iron clad provenance if you document everything correctly.

 

I know of a certain German helmet collector who collected helmets when they were just junk in the late 40's and 50's. Now he has a collection many of us continue to drool over.

[snake36bravo]

These are being sold out to other countries in mass quantities just like all the BDUs. It's nice to get an early one. I had to reduce this but this is one cool Kevlar. Iraqi SF. Black paint with some lovely gold spray paint. Sweet.

 

Common? Maybe by location but here, no, not anymore. The closest surplus store to me has none. The other is 1.5 hours away and they have two.

[Lawdog]

I've not yet heard of these being "faked," but I am sure that there are countless numbers of "put-togethers" out there. So few of these original condition combat used PASGT's exist due to the fact that the Army was/is psychotically anal about us turning them back in after our tour. They can be purchased in great numbers, but only after having been DRMO'd and stripped out. I was lucky enough to obtain a second PASGT while I was in Afghanistan and turned that in when I got out, keeping my combat used helmet with goggles, theatre applied grafitti and early three color desert camo rip stop cover without foliage slits. (Theres a photo of it in Cesar Maximiliano's book.) Likewise, I was able to do the same with my new version kevlar helmet from my tour in Iraq as well as a desert camo CVC helmet that I wore on mission while a .50 gunner in an M1151A1. All three helmets will be passed down to my children.

[Longbranch]

I've not yet heard of these being "faked," but I am sure that there are countless numbers of "put-togethers" out there. So few of these original condition combat used PASGT's exist due to the fact that the Army was/is psychotically anal about us turning them back in after our tour. They can be purchased in great numbers, but only after having been DRMO'd and stripped out. I was lucky enough to obtain a second PASGT while I was in Afghanistan and turned that in when I got out, keeping my combat used helmet with goggles, theatre applied grafitti and early three color desert camo rip stop cover without foliage slits. (Theres a photo of it in Cesar Maximiliano's book.) Likewise, I was able to do the same with my new version kevlar helmet from my tour in Iraq as well as a desert camo CVC helmet that I wore on mission while a .50 gunner in an M1151A1. All three helmets will be passed down to my children.

 

"Put together" was really what I meant by "faked" PASGT helmets. If you know what you are doing, it really isn't difficult at all to assemble a "battle-used" helmet. Get a nasty, used, and cheap PASGT helmet from the surplus store or Ebay. Find a worn, patched helmet cover (3rd and 4th Infantry Division covers are pretty common), or put one together yourself using common covers and patches, then wash the cover several times. Stick them together, make up a good story, and BAM, you have a battle used helmet.

 

This is where it'll be difficult in the future to differentiate an authentic, original helmet (at the time of it's last use) from one that was recently assembled to increase the value. Let's face it... the PASGT shells were reused and rebuilt, just about any variation of components can be considered correct on OIF/OEF used PASGT helmets. Furthermore, these components are VERY common.

[sgtdorango]

Good points, but they wont be that common forever...it really wasnt that long ago that collectors thought of M1s from WWII in that way, although like has been pointed out the PASGTs will last forever not being metal..i think its not a bad idea to grab some while you can, especially the vet acquired war used ones and also the ptched, graffittied, IDed covers will soon become a collectible in their own right, just my prediction!...i only have two K-pots but have been hoarding covers for awhile now!.....mike :thumbsup:

[Longbranch]

Good points, but they wont be that common forever...it really wasnt that long ago that collectors thought of M1s from WWII in that way, although like has been pointed out the PASGTs will last forever not being metal..i think its not a bad idea to grab some while you can, especially the vet acquired war used ones and also the ptched, graffittied, IDed covers will soon become a collectible in their own right, just my prediction!...i only have two K-pots but have been hoarding covers for awhile now!.....mike :thumbsup:

 

To be honest, I've been hoarding covers myself! I have many 4th ID covers, and quite a few components to complete shells that may be missing some pieces. The little parts may be hard to come by in 10-15 years, but right now, they're pretty common.

 

The war-used helmets with provenance are definitely worth picking up, especially since they don't usually cost much more than average PASGTs, and will likely be the only ones to have really substantial value. Look at how much an identified 29th Division WW2 helmet brings compared to nice, unmarked, unidentified but otherwise identical WW2 helmets. We're talking a difference of 4 figures!

 

Furthermore, it will the be identified helmets with provenance that will become the real rarity, as it's not common for soldiers to mark their PASGT helmets with a name as is sometimes seen with WW2 shells/liners. So, once it's been stripped, all of the story goes with it.

 

However, it seems everyone keeps their PASGT helmet as opposed to putting them in the trash. A steel M1 shell can be recycled for scrap, used for a flower pot, or left out to rust away. A PASGT shell will basically last forever... they can't get dented... they won't get stress cracks... they won't rust... they aren't likely to be trashed... etc. Plus, were there really alot of collectors of WWII helmets in the 1940s and 50s? It seems like there is already a willing market (with the $$$ in hand to spend) for OIF/OEF helmets. Consequently, I wonder if they'll really be all that uncommon in the future, as they are being preserved in greater numbers than earlier M1 shells.

 

One helmet I'd like to find is an identified PASGT used in the first Gulf War. I had a collector tell me once about a guy he knew who had his helmet from this time, and that you could tell the cover had been soaked in crude during the conflict. That would be neat!

[HoovieDude]

Like Lawdog, I've kept mine for future purposes, and find myself snagging other Kevlar helmets when the opportunity arises. This thread made me think about it, and I went an counted and it surprised me how many I do have!

 

As far as my personal lids are concerned, I have a CVC, 2 ACH's, one of which went back with me on a civilian contract, and my Kpot. Here are two of the lids..

 

[ArchangelDM]

Like Lawdog, I've kept mine for future purposes, and find myself snagging other Kevlar helmets when the opportunity arises. This thread made me think about it, and I went an counted and it surprised me how many I do have!

 

As far as my personal lids are concerned, I have a CVC, 2 ACH's, one of which went back with me on a civilian contract, and my Kpot. Here are two of the lids..

 

What a lovley display of your equipment :thumbsup:

[flashesandovals]

What a lovley display of your equipment :thumbsup:

Just counted my PASGTs - I've got 50 of them now :think:

[HoovieDude]

Just counted my PASGTs - I've got 50 of them now :think:

 

Wow!!

 

Besides mine that I posted above, I went collected up all that I have. Not quite 50, but I didn't realize I had this many until doing so. And this is after selling off a few in the last couple months.