By the way, jsand, these are often considered to be a type of “trench art”. Also, the motto, “Keep up the Fire”, was from the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, when the unit’s commander uttered those words as he died.

Hello. I am going to be selling these and wanted to know who used them(pilot, paratrooper, etc), and what the market value might be. I have seen some similar online, but not quite identical. I was astoniched at some of the prices. What was most surprising was that even fakes are in the $400 range. Thank you all for your time.

At 3$ you cant go wrong either way. A nice repro leather holster for $3 is a steal. I wouldnt hesitate. However, these are original WW2 holsters. Great score. Leather that was oiled at some point in its history may be darker,  but these look fine. I believe Enger-Kress didnt date the holster one year, I just dont remember which year 42 or 43...or 44? Anyway, both nice originals and at that price, even better than the unissued Enger Kress I found for 15$ at an antique shop! 👍

Front grommet/eyelet is visible here. Photo makes it look like a side view for some reason. WW2 helmet liner. Inland only made liners for a short period during WW2. Inland prefered to make other war material (M-1 carbines etc)  and turned over their uncompleted liners inventory to Firestone. You can often find Firestone liners with a faint Inland logo in the dome. Sought after more? Hard to say....sure probly always some collector looking for an example they dont have. I have one Inland example, however an earlier model. Nice liner/helmet set. Appears to have been together since WW2. 👍

Id lean towards the Enger Kress being of ww2 period with the steel hangers. I have had a couple with brass though over the years though. 

Definitely a relic and reminder of the Cold War.

I've had both types and parted with them about ten years ago. If I remember correctly, I got about $175-$200 for each. Finding that particular collector who needs or wants that style was the key. As has been said, scarcity does not always equal high value.

Thanks! I know the Sears is dated 1942, is there any way to tell if the Enger Kress is WWI or WWII? I've only read about brass vs steel hooks but I'm not sure otherwise.

I have both cotton and wool versions of the 1909 Spec dated double disc coats.  Not named one has discs the other doesn't.  What is the going rate for these?  I am thinking about parting with my my pre-WWI stuff.   Thanks Bob

Hi Phill,   Interesting that this is a known faker trait among British circles.  Over the years, I’ve gotten much better at id’ing fakes.  Usually if a patch looks ugly to me, then I assume it’s a fake.  One’s gut feeling is important.  The old saying that I wouldn’t want it in my collection is a way of trusting one’s gut even if you don’t know for sure it’s a fake.     Dan