Real M2 Helmet??

[Seagle07]

Hello folks,

 

I would love to hear from your opinions on this ebay listing. I am a new collector of M1 helmets and have found out that M2 helmets are quite rare. Here are photos:

 

 

 

 

[The Rooster]

The D bales look like they are made of stainless.

I've been told that they never were made from stainless.

[Nickman983]

Nope, I wouldn't touch that with a 10ft poll. Just focusing on the m2 aspect, the feet are reproductions

[The Rooster]

And that paint bubbling in the white on the front. Ive never seen paint bubbling. Thats a new one and the whole

thing looks like its varnish washed or something ?

[sgtdorango]

Nope

[Burning Hazard]

Bails are completely wrong; you can tell by the “feet” as they are too long.

 

Run far away from this one.

 

Pat

[shadawg]

also of note, photos are bad. generally a sign of a bad sale. a whole lotta insignia paint on there as well, for not having any cork texture left

[ArchangelDM]

Insignia Paint is horrible 

[BILL THE PATCH]

White section is artificially aged also,

Sent from my moto g(7) play using Tapatalk

[CavalryCombatant]

For what it’s worth we must consider the rarity of both M2’s and Medic helmets, On their own they are some of the rarest helmets on the market.   Combined a real Airborne Medic helmet is one in a million, or rarer! I’ve only ever seen one real one, and that was here on the forum.
 

The chances of one coming up out of the blue is extremely unlikely, and would likely go for ridiculous amounts of money.

As a rule of thumb, for myself anyway, is that any medic/airborne helmets are fake without rock solid provenance.

 

Good job posting the helmet on the forum, doing so on high ticket items is always a good idea!

 

-CC

[Burning Hazard]

50 minutes ago, CavalryCombatant said:

For what it’s worth we must consider the rarity of both M2’s and Medic helmets, On their own they are some of the rarest helmets on the market.   Combined a real Airborne Medic helmet is one in a million, or rarer! I’ve only ever seen one real one, and that was here on the forum.
 

The chances of one coming up out of the blue is extremely unlikely, and would likely go for ridiculous amounts of money.

As a rule of thumb, for myself anyway, is that any medic/airborne helmets are fake without rock solid provenance.

 

Good job posting the helmet on the forum, doing so on high ticket items is always a good idea!

 

-CC

 

I remember Marko Bando put it best "If a real airborne helmet (with provenance) comes up, it will likely exchange hands privately and for big money"

 

Pat

[Luxview]

The helmet is currently offered on German Ebay (https://www.ebay.de/itm/Stahlhelm-steel-helmet-casque-Helm/164644913629), description only says "Steel helmet, initial rust, slight dents, no liner, on the inside number 120 readable at front", no further reference, no mentioning of D bails, Medic, or Airborne. I've seen other helmets from this seller before (not only US headgear), nearly all of them would have been very rare pieces, if genuine.

[ken88]

I agree, certainly a fake given the shape of the feet on the D-loops and the would be 505th paint job, I've only ever seen a real one without the medical crosses in a museum in Normandy (Dead man's corner). 

[MattS]

I've talked to a guy who has faked helmets and learned some of his techniques. Even so, the end results are sometimes pretty convincing such as this one here. But yes, you are better off assuming any M2 is a fake. Unless you find it at a flea market for $20 tagged "army helmet" like someone I know, in that case, drop the 20 and take it. 

[Thor996]

1 hour ago, MattS said:

I've talked to a guy who has faked helmets and learned some of his techniques. Even so, the end results are sometimes pretty convincing such as this one here. But yes, you are better off assuming any M2 is a fake. Unless you find it at a flea market for $20 tagged "army helmet" like someone I know, in that case, drop the 20 and take it. 

 

I would say, and this is my limited knowledge based on reading many painted helmet posts on the forum over the last 9 yeas  [and not responding to a lot of these posts bc it's way outside my knowledge and comfort zone] that if I saw it for 20$ then I would grab it on the 1 in 1,000,000 chance there was something redeemable about the helmet or liner itself and not the paint.

 

So many fakes out there of these and well, having seen a few high profile 'helmet dramas' here on the forum, just the sight of a painted helmet on ebay causes me to keep on scrolling given the facts that, from what I have read, they are SO rare and SO sought out that if it was REAL then you'd see it here first anyway being discussed.

 

That's not to say you cannot get 'lucky' and actually find a treasure out there in the wild, but ebay is not exactly the wild wild west of collecting like it was say back when ebay first started. This forum has been invaluable to my learning process about a LOT MORE than helmet fakes and steering clear  of reproduction of ALL kinds and for that I am grateful for it.

 

 

[dmar836]

Well spoken.