6th.MG.BN Posted February 10, 2019 Share #1 Posted February 10, 2019 I started out collecting WWII German in the mid 1980's. German helmets would sell for $100.00 with or without decals, including liners and chinstraps that were never removed. Camo ones(real ones) would be $200.00 to $400.00. When they started going for big bucks people started buying Japanese helmets. Then they went up in value. Not too many people even paid attention to WWII US M1 helmets. They would be at the shows for $20.00 and up and would sit there. It didn't matter flex bail or fixed bail. You would have a good chance of buying a helmet that was a M1-C helmet that the dealer didn't even know the difference and had it priced the same as a M1. I was even lucky enough to pick up an experimental Hawley liner off Ebay for $350.00 around 2000? As I look around now you have a hard to finding a flex bail for less than $200.00 and a fixed bail for under $300.00. Viet-Man helmets are also starting to ride that "M1" price wave. It should come as no surprise as everyone is always looking for that next unpriced collectable. It shows no signs of stopping, for now. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USARV72 Posted February 10, 2019 Share #2 Posted February 10, 2019 Ken, you have said it all, amazing how prices have gone up. Supply and demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted February 10, 2019 Share #3 Posted February 10, 2019 Not to be a wet blanket, but like any evolving generational curve, there is an end. It is a fundamental law of the universe, that everything abides by. Are Vietnam helmets worth more than they were 20 years ago? Sure, but so is non-contextual dollar value. The value of a dollar is less than half it was during the $100 German helmet era you describe. That alone makes a $100 helmet a $250 helmet, if nothing else changes. So it is a more complicated formula than just time. Interesting to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
644td Posted February 10, 2019 Share #4 Posted February 10, 2019 If you can find a 100% german helmet for 250.00 let me know I will buy them all day long. You will not get a 100% complete original german helmet under 400.00. Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USARV72 Posted February 10, 2019 Share #5 Posted February 10, 2019 Many more collectors now, more interest due to movies , fleabay,ECT( a good thing), point is back then just about all “old green stuff”( as many dealers refered to it)was about unwanted, thus cheap. Fondly remember the days of $2.00 WWII M-1 liners and $5-$10 steel pots. Web/ field gear was found in junk boxes or under tables, uniforms in a pile in the back. Then there was NCHS, Craig Carrols and a few other “ big dealers”.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Posted February 10, 2019 Share #6 Posted February 10, 2019 LOL. Nobody said you could my friend, relax. If you read carefully, I said a $100 item would cost ~$250 today, if nothing else changed. So, fixed demand, JUST factoring for inflation. Has demand increased for WWII German helmets since 1985? Absolutely. Will it rise and fall, popping like popcorn, until one day it finally shrivels? Also yes. If you can find a 100% german helmet for 250.00 let me know I will buy them all day long. You will not get a 100% complete original german helmet under 400.00. Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 10, 2019 Share #7 Posted February 10, 2019 It's true the devaluation of the dollar plays a major part of the price of everything, but the supply of any item is finite. They only made so many of product X in 1900. Today only so many item X items have survived to this time. The number of people living today is greater than 1900. If a large number people want to own product X today and only so many survive the price goes up. This assumes people have the extra money to spend on these items. If the demand for product X is constant over time the price goes way up and other people find a way to create copies of the original product X to sell and cash in on the demand. This apply's to everything. I'm sure most of us remember the crash of "08". The prices on everything dropped. Talk to any antique store owner and they will tell you since then, many items that used to sell well before "08" never recovered. Many store owners tell me the young people today have no interest in old things and the people who collected those items in the past are passing away and the items they owned are returning to the market at deflated prices this in turn deflates all prices for those items. Factor in the "politically correct" aspect of the younger crowds and you will see major devaluations of items that were at one time very collectible. The world is changing. I posted a very nice original Vietnam M-1C with lots of graffiti on it. I was offered $400.00 off the bat by a fellow member. I was stunned! I didn't sell ,but I was left wondering if this was a new trend. I don't know what direction the winds will will blow when it comes to collecting military items or how hard the winds will blow. I just know they will blow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burning Hazard Posted February 10, 2019 Share #8 Posted February 10, 2019 Times are changing, and what was once deemed "junk" and surplus is now treasure to many. I grew up with Nintendo games and it never crossed my mind that they would be collectible since millions were made. To my surprise, some of my rarer childhood games/systems I kept are now worth like $300-$600, I had no idea until some younger folks told me. Will the price crash? Doubt it since only a finite number was made; I'm pretty sure that many original collectible items still end up in landfills daily because neglect and/or lack of knowledge by family members etc. Just some thoughts Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted February 10, 2019 Share #9 Posted February 10, 2019 Those days aren't gone, they just changed. Now it is Iraqi helmets instead of German, most go for $20-100, still full of sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersargent Posted February 11, 2019 Share #10 Posted February 11, 2019 hi there, do you have any m1 vietnam era helmets for sale, looking for something with history,named, or with markings thanks p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 11, 2019 Share #11 Posted February 11, 2019 hi there, do you have any m1 vietnam era helmets for sale, looking for something with history,named, or with markings thanks p M-1C Vietnam with lots of graffiti, Maybe 1st Cav opinion. Not for sale, but it's free to look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th.MG.BN Posted February 11, 2019 Author Share #12 Posted February 11, 2019 hi there, do you have any m1 vietnam era helmets for sale, looking for something with history,named, or with markings thanks p I don't have any Viet-Man helmets for sale right now. I would suggest looking at the for sale section on this forum or write a wanted to buy ad, if you will. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaptonIsGod Posted February 11, 2019 Share #13 Posted February 11, 2019 It's true the devaluation of the dollar plays a major part of the price of everything, but the supply of any item is finite. Not devaluation, inflation. Significant difference economically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 11, 2019 Share #14 Posted February 11, 2019 Not devaluation, inflation. Significant difference economically. You are correct, I should have used inflation. Thanks for correcting that!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anton67 Posted February 12, 2019 Share #15 Posted February 12, 2019 I think the value of US helmets has gone down more recently (other than top shelf helmets). The collecting pool is shrinking. I went to a gun show this past weekend (More of a Military Collectors Show) - Allentown Forks of the Delaware Show. There were very few people under 40 there. I also think that Vietnam Era helmets are not worth very much UNLESS they are either identified to a particular soldier or likely to have been used in Vietnam. That is because helmets actually used in Vietnam are extremely rare. That is because soldiers were not generally permitted to bring their helmets home (they were allowed to bring their helmet covers home). That is just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 12, 2019 Share #16 Posted February 12, 2019 Early vietnam helmets sets in good condition sell for good money. Ebay Nam helmets are usually your run of the mill surplus put togethers made up of common dated parts / late parts. It takes me a long time to put together early helmet sets with original clean parts that match are are correct. Especially shells and covers. Over the years I have put together a sizable collection of early clean Nam helmets. The problem with Nam helmets is older collectors don't have an interest in them. They would value a P.O 62 helmet cover the same as a long flap cover. Even though P.O 62 covers are extremely hard to find, and serious Nam helmet collectors have to pay a premium for nice early dated parts when they do pop up on ebay. A clean 1959 set just sold for $175 a few days ago. Meanwhile I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only collector at a smaller show actively looking for detailed Vietnam helmet parts. It took me years to find a 1964 6833 contract helmet cover in new condition, and I don't believe I've seen one since, I paid over $100 dollars for it, because it was on ebay and it was very evident other collectors have been looking for one too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogskin7 Posted February 12, 2019 Share #17 Posted February 12, 2019 Early vietnam helmets sets in good condition sell for good money. Ebay Nam helmets are usually your run of the mill surplus put togethers made up of common dated parts / late parts. It takes me a long time to put together early helmet sets with original clean parts that match are are correct. Especially shells and covers. Over the years I have put together a sizable collection of early clean Nam helmets. The problem with Nam helmets is older collectors don't have an interest in them. They would value a P.O 62 helmet cover the same as a long flap cover. Even though P.O 62 covers are extremely hard to find, and serious Nam helmet collectors have to pay a premium for nice early dated parts when they do pop up on ebay. A clean 1959 set just sold for $175 a few days ago. Shameless plug lol... I'm selling an early-mid Set in the FS section Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 12, 2019 Share #18 Posted February 12, 2019 Shameless plug lol... I'm selling an early-mid Set in the FS section I saw it in the for sale section and I also saw it originally for sale on Ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogskin7 Posted February 12, 2019 Share #19 Posted February 12, 2019 I saw it in the for sale section and I also saw it originally for sale on Ebay. Yes, I payed $185 for it. Just looking to break even. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usoverlord Posted February 13, 2019 Share #20 Posted February 13, 2019 I brought mine home and I jokingly refer to it as the only part of my uniform I can still fit into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 13, 2019 Share #21 Posted February 13, 2019 I brought mine home and I jokingly refer to it as the only part of my uniform I can still fit into. How did you manage to get it home and could you show any photos of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usoverlord Posted February 13, 2019 Share #22 Posted February 13, 2019 As I recall, in my duffle bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 14, 2019 Share #23 Posted February 14, 2019 Oh, silly me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now