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GUESS WHO THE NEXT HELMET FAKER IS ON THIS FORUM?


stealthytyler
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Sadly this type of thing will continue to plague the collecting field and deception will only prove to get better with the advancement of technology so at some point it will be as it is now nearly impossible to discern original from reproduction. I am grateful for those members who fully investigate and research and go the extra step in applying pressure to those who are committing such acts to fool unsuspecting buyers. The very moral fiber of an individual is tested when financial gain can be had by someone. The amount of greed that overcomes someone is disappointing and in some cases criminal. Unfortunately we live in a society that focuses on personal gain and profit without weighing in on consequences.

 

Another faker has been ousted on this forum but unfortunately we can't control other forums and the ability for this individual to relocate to another forum under another identity. The skills and knowledge he mastered from here can be used elsewhere now. The majority of us here are on multiple forums due to our collecting interests. Some prefer to use the same forum name and avatar for easy recognition and in some cases it also establishes reputation that the individual is known in the collecting realm. I have noticed on some forums that your particular location for example and gender are optional which means of course once again we have to act as a police force amongst fellow collectors and question everything and almost everyone..

 

There have been some very good points offered from many forum members about this particular subject and again the knowledge that is shared by members with good intentions is commendable, but I also have to take a step back and reevaluate what knowledge I pass on to others.. How will this information be used? For personal insight or for profitable gain??

 

I haven't shared much of my collection lately for reasons of security and lack of time, but now that this matter has been brought forward, this validates another reason why I will be more vigilant when answering questions and perhaps revert back to being a closet collector.

 

Leigh

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I'm also curious about his age and the timeline. Googling his name brings up a few hits in California and New York...mostly for older guys (50ish). He seems younger, for sure.

 

The WRF link is definitely interesting...definitively showing a pattern of behavior from then to now.

 

There's plenty of history to save and money to make without faking stuff....but some people's children............

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normaninvasion

Hindsight is 20/20 but Im not surprised based on his postings here. Shenanigans. Not someone I would give much weight to. It's the silent ones you have to watch out for.

 

Collecting is a gamble, arm yourself with knowledge and deal with reputable people

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Hello,

It would be interesting to know who painted that red cross. I wouldn't be surprised his mentor did it for him, since there are

obviously not 8 fakers around but just one - the one that got busted - the one who is seeking revenge through his ebay subliminal messages and his off forum messages to most of us in an effort to find new allies.

Aside from the pathetic excuses & explanations, embellishing a period marked helmet is new to me - any collector with a real interest in WW2 history would never do that.

I'm glad I don't collect USN and " Doctors' " helmets :)

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He's also on page 36, post 888 of the "OKAY.............Show yourself !!" thread.... doing a body-builder pose.

 

Hey Hans (or Frans) ... stop ripping people off. Just sayin'.

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USMC-RECON0321

Lucky for us, he's not the brightest bulb in the box, but him or Jkash or who's ever next it will all come down to knowledge, experience, research and that all mighty gut feeling etc... To make your own decision if an item is good or bad! Everyone always says buy the item not the story, but the "Story" can be very important if it can be verified or even partially verified, then evaluate the condition, wear, smell, style of markings, colors used, size of markings, location of markings, know the unit history and their use of such markings and when, date of manufacture, chain of custody and so on... Look at the whole picture to see if it makes sense?

 

I hear many collectors (new and old) say I will never buy a painted helmet, and that's a real shame. I have many helmets that are great, but I've been searching them out specifically for over 35 years and it can be a LOOOOOONG time between finds. But one thing I've always judged a helmet on when I add it to my collection is if I feel it's a ONE LOOKER! That "No Doubt about it" gut feeling you get at first glance and inspection. Doesn't mean, don't dig further into confirming that feeling, but I can say, if I don't start with that gut feeling, I don't go any further with it!!

 

 

Sad that it has come to this, but it's reality in collecting anything!! Good items will be deemed fake and fake items deemed good, So yes be skeptical and guarded but don't let the cons keep you from finding true history for your collection!

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There are more than painted helmets being faked. There are identities, non-museums, .org abuse, and worse. Some people will justfy almost anything for personal gain with little to no consideration for the impact they have on collectors, the hobby, and the veterans they take advantage of.

 

It's the so called preservers of history representing themselves as honoring and preserving our veterans contributions to get deal or a donation for their "Museum" that really bother me.

 

If you are a collector, own it, and be open with sellers about what your passion is and why; represent the truth about who and what your true intentions are. It's painting a fake reality in mind of the seller/donator when you misrepresent yourself as museum, a preservation expert, curator, etc...

 

A misrepresented "faked" helmet is unacceptable no doubt, this guy and any others participating should be banned and prosecuted if possible. Faked personas, credentials, status, and misleading messages are no less a crime.

 

In all fareness, I love a good deal, I work hard for my money and don't like to give it away. I buy, sell, and trade and offer my intentions up freely. Admittedly I buy a lot more than I sell or trade, but I don't buy or asked for donations under ant false pretense; I'm a collector and proud to be a collector.

 

I also don't like to be made a fool of by fakers, whether they are selling painted helmets or painted realities, but I have been fooled by both.

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This is so true dskjl, my son was selling some trench art last week on a FB militaria site. A guy jumped on to say he was representing a military museum and they did not have a budget for purchases. The obvious intent was to have it donated. I responded that a museum without a procurement budget is called a collection. He then posted a web site showing it was a museum. Of course upon reading the history portion of the website, it turned out to be one man's collection made available for viewing by the public. These museum, family member, curator, unit historian, etc. scams are just as bad as the faker scams.

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good that some time fakers get caught and have to leave this great community.It is getting alway more and more difficult to spot fakes from the "real McCoy"....I know that my Country gave birth to one of them who was quite activ on Ebay.I attend some militaria exibitions here in Italy,and too many times I prefer to stay away from some objects that could be with an high probability fakes.I am talking mainly about helmets with units' markings or ranks' markings.There are many of them in these exibitions ready to be sold at quite expensive prices,but the guarantee that they are originals.....

And thanks God I began to collect american militaria some 15 years ago,after 10 years of collecting TR militaria,something that gave me quite a lot of nightmares.That's why in my collection I have 6 M1 FS FB helmets (different liners etcetc ) but only two lids with insignias,one with the 45th infantry division and one with captain rank.I am pretty sure that both of them are originals since I know where they came from,but for the others on the market I sadly prefer to stay away from them rather than burning my hard earned money for one possibly fake helmet.

IMHO I guess that things have become more and more difficult after the "saving private Ryan" movie.Before that at least here in Europe was much easier and cheaper to buy good quality american militaria.One last thing,there are some fakes made already some 10-15 years ago that are more and more difficult to recognize as that,since time and aging (also artificially aging) make them look as the real ones.Collecting has never been easy,fakers and cheaters are always present in every collecting precints,I know some collectors that after having been cheated gave up with collecting.It is not easy,everybodfy should take some good time to study what he or she is collecting,although it takes times and quite a large quantity of efforts,but that together with the many good fellows collectors willing to share their opinion and suggestions is the only way to maintain collecting a nice hobby and not a source of nightmares.....

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So, no surprise that this is the way it turned out, based on the history of this individual. I’ve always held, that if you will cheat on little stuff, you’ll cheat on the big stuff - the only line is do or don’t. Sad for him, but not for us, as we get to continue loving this hobby with our integrity and identity intact. He’ll long need to move on the outskirts, or adopt other personas, to have even peripheral involvement.

 

Hopefully he’ll get to the point one day to realize who he is, and decide to change. Maybe not. But the good news is, he has that opportunity, as we all do.

 

Guys like this serve as helpful signposts; reminders for us, of the importance of doing things right. Make a good turn. Tell a veteran’s daughter what something is really worth, sell a buddy something for what you paid, or just plainly put in more than you take.

 

Stealthytyler, thanks for smoking out another one.

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I am just thankful for everyone knowledgeable here on this forum that is willing to help out collectors with less experience like my self. I'll definitely be coming here with my finds so hopefully I never get sucked into buying a fake.

 

It is sad though what goes through some collectors minds. And just to make a few bucks too. I hope that the U.S. market never gets to the level of fakes there are in the Germans. Although even a small percentage is bad enough.

 

Another sad part is, is that there are many times collectors that may not, or are not part of a forum like this one and you see something like the helmet exposed being bid up to a high price.

 

I guess it comes down to asking lots of questions and researching before buying.

 

Andrew

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Well said, I'm thinking many here are not surprised and there are those that feel vindicated that had gut feelings that something was off about this member from the beginning.

 

He posted a helmet nonchalantly yesterday on instagram and was summarily put on blast. To me that's a prime example of someone who obviously does not care about their negative impact to the collecting community, just another day apparently.

 

A comment made by another ousted faker many threads ago comes to mind "we're not the helmet police" well, I think to some degree you have to be. If Tyler hadn't been on point with this helmet it may have passed thru at best with mixed reviews and at worst with many thumbs up.

 

I can't add much more that hasn't already been said, Troy put it perfectly in my opinion as did others. Listen to your gut.

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Proof in the pudding, that you can’t hide from your reputation. The same technology that scammers use to cheat others, is the same one that haunts them when they act badly. Their own personal version of the ghost of Christmas past. The world is a really small place now, and this is one good manifestation of that. When you try and cheat others, it is now on a global stage. Congrats, you just ruined your brand over some rumpled pieces of paper.

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airborneguy44

Its a shame because I would always come here to purchase helmets 1. To support other forum members 2. To trust each other selling legit pots as opposed to the eBay and other website scammers. Funny how one bad apple can ruin things....

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Burning Hazard

Sad to see this happened again; didnt realize it went back to other forums in 2012, it would of changed my perspective on that member from the start.

 

Pat

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airborneguy44

Don't give up because of one muppet.

 

 

owen

Oh I wont. Its just before I bought items off the forum without second guessing the item. Now Im just going to have to double check the authenticity for some like the one he tried selling
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Oh I wont. Its just before I bought items off the forum without second guessing the item. Now Im just going to have to double check the authenticity for some like the one he tried selling

It never hurts to still get a second opinion of the forum for items in the FS section. I see it all the time, this forum is a great community for information and input. Asking for opinions is not taboo here. If your spending good money on an item you deserve to know if its real

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