stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Share #1 Posted January 31, 2018 This helmet is on eBay right now with an asking price of $5500. Thoughts? I personally do not like it for multiple reasons...then again, I've been wrong before. It also just recently sold at an auction house. It originally came with a liner but the seller on eBay states there is no liner. Share your thoughts on its authenticity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #2 Posted January 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted January 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #4 Posted January 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #5 Posted January 31, 2018 Here is the helmet when it sold at an auction house a few weeks ago with the liner: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntssurplus Posted January 31, 2018 Share #6 Posted January 31, 2018 Is there a name? Without provenance it is almost impossible to know for sure... Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted January 31, 2018 Is there a name? Without provenance it is almost impossible to know for sure... Hunt There is no name. That was one of the issues I have with it as the majority of these helmets are named. The other issue I have with it is that the base color is ship grey. To date, I have seen 7 or 8 legit examples that are named and not one had ship grey paint as the main coat. The blue band seems very blue to me as well compared to the other examples I have seen. Also, the application of the paint looks very brittle and prone to chipping. That is not the case with the other identified helmets I have seen. Lastly, the liner that came with it in the auction house sale is not with it in the eBay sale. Just seems a bit odd. Would love to hear more feedback from you guys as the above is just my opinion and like I said, I have been wrong before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted January 31, 2018 Share #8 Posted January 31, 2018 To me the paint looks intentionally chipped off. Not with a tool but by masking it off before it was painted. I used to do that with plastic model tanks by getting some salt wet and applying it, let it dry, paint over it, then chip it off. But this is just a gut feelingm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted January 31, 2018 Interesting. I see what you are saying. I really see it in the blue paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelDM Posted January 31, 2018 Share #10 Posted January 31, 2018 The coloured paints have very little age to them , film prop maybe ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugi45 Posted January 31, 2018 Share #11 Posted January 31, 2018 Maybe the seller bought it and realized it was fake and is now trying to flip it. I know very little about beach battalion helmets but as others have said, the paint looks flaky and generally incorrect. Just my 2 cents Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchangelDM Posted January 31, 2018 Share #12 Posted January 31, 2018 Explains why he kept the liner , maybe the liner was the only good thing about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken88 Posted January 31, 2018 Share #13 Posted January 31, 2018 My gut feeling is that the wear doesn't look right. Seems intentional to me as well. I think the navy blue is original but the markings aren't. Could be wrong but it just looks off at first sight. The wear is very uneven and looks very purposed. There's no way it's worth 5500 without proof of authenticity. As it sits there's not a lot that suggests the helmet is authentic. Can't believe anyone would pay this kind of money without some kind of provenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #14 Posted January 31, 2018 Here is another one that just popped up on eBay. "Rare and original...d-day beach battalion helmet" Also, notice the "red arc"? Pretty sure that is far from an intentional painted arc. But the blue band, that could be something but no way of telling for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lost-and-found-history Posted January 31, 2018 Share #15 Posted January 31, 2018 I'm going to play devil's advocate on this one. One thing I've learned in 40 years of collecting, is that there are plenty of legitimate items out there, from insignia, to uniforms to headgear that buck the status quo and end up surprising us. For that reason alone, I'm not so quick to judge. That being said, I'm not so sure that this one is artificially aged, nor am I willing to dismiss it outright as faked, simply because the base coat is ship's grey and the dark grey band is more greyish-bluish. This one could have been pressed into service at the last minute for the invasion for any number of reasons. Likewise, it could be un-named for any number of reasons. The fact that it may have been painted over the ship's grey at the last minute with a paint that doesn't adhere well to the gloss grey of that time, may contribute to the odd flaking over the years, or even within an hour of it having been pressed into service as a 7th NBB helmet. Everything about this one would otherwise be correct; this style of insignia is often seen on legitimate 7th NBB invasion attributed helmets and it's a fixed bail, not a re-purposed swivel bail trying to pass itself off as a D-day helmet. It certainly would be nice if it was named and we could put this debate to bed once and for all. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I'm on the fence on this one. In an ideal world, if I could get this for the right price (AKA nowhere near $5500.00!), I might pull the trigger and take a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthytyler Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share #16 Posted January 31, 2018 I agree with you as well. Thats why I said that I have been wrong before and that this was my gut feeling and opinion. It sold for $1400 at the auction house. Still more than what I would pay for on the off chance that it is legit. Maybe $200 would be worth the risk...but then again, it would be hard or nearly impossible to 100% ID. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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