Jump to content

Super Salty Post-WWII USMC Helmet


Nickman983
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've really got a thing for lids with the right amount of "salt" so when I saw this one come up for sale I had to have it. I worked out a price with the seller and just got it in the mail today.

 

As far as I'm aware the sets been together for ages. Unfortunately there's nothing that I've seen that positively ties the liner to the cover/helmet but given the fact that the cover has clearly been on the lid for a while I'd say it's likely it's an original set.

 

The shell is a WWII FS/SB McCord that's been repainted at least once. The short chinstrap has had its stitching undone, presumable to length it so the chinstraps could be buckled in the rear.

 

The cover is a 1953 blue anchor worn jungle side out. Interestingly the EGA was worn on the rear of the helmet It's severely faded but just barely visible. Two of the flaps have been inked with "87". I'm assuming this is either a roster or supply number. I have another 1953 blue anchor that has very similar markings. The cover is heavily faded, stained, and torn in multiple locations. While the cover is somewhat delicate it is thankfully still in good enough condition that it won't be damaged further with normal handling.

 

The liner I believe was removed at some point by the previous owner as the cover was correctly identified as a 1953 dated blue anchor cover in the listing, however from what I can tell the cover has not been removed since it was last put on by the marine.

 

The liner is a 1951/1952 CAPAC. It's missing the nape strap webbing and has a few other tears. The sweatband is the cotton type with the sewn edge. It does not have any date stamps or contract numbers on it as far as I can tell, but these could have been faded as well. The liner also has a name penned in the rear near where the nape strap webbing was. I've unfortunately not been able to read it clearly yet.

 

All in all I'm really happy with this pick up. I want to say this is likely early Vietnam era use but would love to hear other's thoughts on the era.

 

PXL_20221128_213824961.jpg.31a34bd506c748b1f230e425ac793583.jpgPXL_20221128_213832682.jpg.4429b6aebb6851b6df3a42ec342d6b9b.jpgPXL_20221128_213840843.jpg.52bc8eb126cb8f2af0faa7f983a32ef3.jpgPXL_20221128_213847479.jpg.196f06b1531c77bbb5488fc722fe3439.jpgPXL_20221128_213543205.jpg.a3bd4f8dc7dd89e3447d116437bcbc07.jpgPXL_20221128_213612375.jpg.dc488d9b32c6d6d02c6f0ea4bfa942b0.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice! Beautiful Patina! 
 

But concerning the condition of the cover I’m not quite sure if the shell belongs tobte set originally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Blueprint said:

Very nice! Beautiful Patina! 
 

But concerning the condition of the cover I’m not quite sure if the shell belongs tobte set originally.

 

What makes you say that? The left side of the cover is pretty well molded to the shell and while the cover can still be handled it's stiff and brittle enough that I'm almost certain I'd destroy it if I were to try to take it off and put it back on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The paint loss on the rim is very minimal as well in the area of the shell where the cover has a big cut. Might’ve happened after „the war“ so as it was worn the shell was not penetrated by the elements. Just my observation.

 

But I wouldn’t remove the cover either. Still a very nice set! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Blueprint.

 

A lot of rust bleed-through on the cover, with no corresponding corrosion visible on the shell.  The shell - through the tears and foliage slits - looks to be fairly pristine, with even paint.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Blueprint said:

The paint loss on the rim is very minimal as well in the area of the shell where the cover has a big cut. Might’ve happened after „the war“ so as it was worn the shell was not penetrated by the elements. Just my observation.

 

But I wouldn’t remove the cover either. Still a very nice set! 

 

4 hours ago, Blacksmith said:

I agree with Blueprint.

 

A lot of rust bleed-through on the cover, with no corresponding corrosion visible on the shell.  The shell - through the tears and foliage slits - looks to be fairly pristine, with even paint.  

 

Thanks for the input guys!

 

I don't think the pictures really did a great job at showing the shell. I believe a lot of the rust is coming from areas where the corking has worn off leaving holes where the cork was that are just exposed steel. Unfortunately I can't see what's going on in a lot of the areas with the darkest rust staining but the areas I can see lead me to believe this is the case. The paint on the edge of the rim is worn away completely outside of the areas where the bails are, I'm assuming this is where the slit holes were originally cut. There's also a couple of areas where the cover is torn where there's corresponding scratches in the paint.

 

If the cover isn't original to the shell then whoever put it on did a good job of getting it on there well without destroying it. Either way I think it displays well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That cover is not original to the helmet IMO.

 

The wear to the cover does not match the steel shell.

 

That cover is beat but the shell isn’t.

 

The shell should have large rust spots and serious wear but looks to be in excellent condition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also agree with Manayunkman. 
 

Those tiny „open“ areas on the shell could’ve never did such harm to the cover. 
 

But yeah it’s the best way to probably  display the cover so personally I wouldn’t mind. 
 

Maybe it’s that the „Vet“ just kept the cover as it shows more honest wear than if he had kept a almost deteriorating shell. 
 

B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FT.Monmouth1943

Rust stains (especially as big as they are on your cover) don’t appear out of thin air. Whatever shell this cover was originally on must’ve been a rust bucket and this cover was removed from it. The shell it’s currently on has almost no rust. Still a nice sum of parts, but definitely a put-together set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Appreciate the feedback on this one. Guess I jumped the gun a little due to how stiff/fragile the cover is in some places. I'm surprised it managed to survive being removed from one shell to another. Either way I think it still displays well, especially with my other salty USMC set from the same period.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...