WWII Fixed Bail, Front Seam Helmet with Markings, Flea Market Find,

[rrobertscv]

Found this at our local flea market, usually don't find anything. Looking for help with the heat stamp and any idea's on the markings. Marked on front and rear. Thanks for the help. Sorry about the photo orientation, I have tried three times to put them straight.

[1canpara]

Nice find! 

[albatrosdva]

Could E14L be a location? A helmet to grab at GQ so you are assigned the helmet from Section E row 14 on the left? I don't know if that was done that way, just speaking hypothetically. Nice find.

[kstornado45]

I hate to be a ‘negative Nancy’ but what part of this ball peen hammer abused old lid is a “nice find”  ?  Two of ya think this so ? 
I don’t see it….the dents diminish it totally sorry to say. 

 

 

[eaglerunner88]

1 hour ago, kstornado45 said:

I hate to be a ‘negative Nancy’ but what part of this ball peen hammer abused old lid is a “nice find”  ?  Two of ya think this so ? 
I don’t see it….the dents diminish it totally sorry to say. 

 

 

The fact that it still has intact bails as well as early war web chinstraps. And the dents to the dome can easily be hammered out if desired but they give it character IMO. Given a fresh coat of RAPCO OD lusterless paint this helmet would look right as rain. Nice find indeed!

[CavalryCombatant]

12 hours ago, kstornado45 said:

I hate to be a ‘negative Nancy’ but what part of this ball peen hammer abused old lid is a “nice find”  ?  Two of ya think this so ? 
I don’t see it….the dents diminish it totally sorry to say. 

 

 

I totally fail to see how a few dents would “diminish it totally”.  IMO it’s a nice fixed bail helmet, nothing real wrong with it.  In this hobby you can’t expect perfection, and this one has great character to it.

 

 

[manayunkman]

Some people like mint and others not so much.

 

Diminish means to take away.

 

Do the dents take anything away here?

 

They diminish the value to all and desirability to some.

 

Does it mean the helmet is worthless or undesirable no.

 

And don’t forget it still represents history.

 

If a 506 PIR helmet showed up in this condition I doubt many would pass it up.

 

What is interesting is what is painted on the helmet.

 

Are they initials?

[CavalryCombatant]

Well put, and you make some good points.  
 

The markings appear to be EHL to me, so could definitely be initials.  

[jmd62]

Nice find! I wouldn't mind coming across one like that at a flea market myself. Sometimes I see guys with dented helmets in old WW2 photos or films, so personally it doesn't bother me to see them today. Granted, it's hard to say when helmets we hold today were dented. 

[manayunkman]

Check inside the helmet sometimes guys wrote their name in pencil and over the years it becomes harder to see.

 

If you look at it from different angles when the light hits it correctly what is left of the pencil marks might appear.

 

11 minutes ago, CavalryCombatant said:

Well put, and you make some good points.  
 

The markings appear to be EHL to me, so could definitely be initials.  

 

[The Rooster]

A Louisville slugger will take those dents right out better than any hammer.

I would not paint it.

[kstornado45]

It was not my intent to dub it ‘worthless’ just uninteresting as a collectible.  My kid could ‘play Army’ wearing it.  Great for reenactment use. “Nice” it don’t rate, maybe “good”…..OK 

As for wishing it was Airborne marked to make me like more,  wish away the hammer dents, too while your conjuring.  Then I will say “It’s nice”  …..Of Course
  
 

[manayunkman]

11 hours ago, kstornado45 said:

It was not my intent to dub it ‘worthless’ just uninteresting as a collectible.  My kid could ‘play Army’ wearing it.  Great for reenactment use. “Nice” it don’t rate, maybe “good”…..OK 

As for wishing it was Airborne marked to make me like more,  wish away the hammer dents, too while your conjuring.  Then I will say “It’s nice”  …..Of Course
  
 

 

 

The point is is that some people will put more value on one thing over another.

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

One guy says she’s ugly and the other guy sees value and wants to care for her.

 

And Rrobert sees value in acquiring this helmet for what ever the reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snake36bravo]

Don't listen to the skirt named Nancy. It's a nice score when you get an original front seam, fixed bail, with intact chinstraps that doesn't break the bank these days. Those dents come right out easy. 

 

Anyone able to help on that heat stamp? I'd like to know too.

[rrobertscv]

Well, I only gave $30 for it. Had it sitting on my desk and a guy bought it for just north of 5 times what I paid for it. Guess it had a little value.😂😂

[gearup1940]

If I read the heat stamp as 61 that dates the helmet to an early 1942 production.