First model Steel Helmet "Kessler Bombe"

[uscob]

Got this nice Helmet today in a near mint condition.
They were used in the early VP and Grenzpolizei.
Nico

[uscob]

inside

[Soviet]

The decal looks so bright! Is that normal for this hlemet?

[uscob]

The decal looks so bright! Is that normal for this hlemet?

The Decals are maybe repros, but very well made ones.
Nico

[Thälmannpionier]

Nice

Looks like a M54 Shell with replacement Liner and Repro Decal.
If it isn't so exepensive like the "complete" M54 with the original Liner, it surely is a nice Piece for a Collection Display.
Regards

P.S. I for one wouldn't like to have a Repro Decal on it and would try to get it of the Helmet

[uscob]

The Liner is the original one.
Nico

[Mike G.]

I would think the decal to be authentic, should have that yellow patina present in it. However, I wouldn't be too quick to remove it until you are 100% sure it is a reproduction.

Nico,

Congratulations on a nice acquisition. I paid a very good deal of money last year to a German Dealer and never got the helmet. Had I resided in Germany, I would have made a "Cold Call" visit to his house.

Great helmet to have in a DDR collection.

[torstenbel]

Nico, could you show a close up of that decal please? Cheers, Torsten.

[uscob]

Nico, could you show a close up of that decal please? Cheers, Torsten.

Too late, but maybe the buyer do so.
Nico

[Soviet]

Congratulations on a nice acquisition. I paid a very good deal of money last year to a German Dealer and never got the helmet. Had I resided in Germany, I would have made a "Cold Call" visit to his house.

This is a sad story.

[torstenbel]

Congratulations on a nice acquisition. I paid a very good deal of money last year to a German Dealer and never got the helmet. Had I resided in Germany, I would have made a "Cold Call" visit to his house.

name the seller here...whoever he/she may be...Cheers, Torsten.

[Mike G.]

name the seller here...whoever he/she may be...Cheers, Torsten.

Thanks, but its now water under the bridge.

The helmet to my best knowledge, did not even exist. The Seller simply posted a picture of an exceptionally nice example of an M-54. There never really was an actual helmet. The Seller has never posted anything for sell on ebay since that auction. The whole affair was a scam that I fell for.

I couldn't do anything with respect to ebay, due to the time delay. That is one of the problems about bidding on something in Europe. It sometimes can take several weeks to receive the article after it is won. If you don't receive it, very often by the time one realizes there is a problem, too much time has transpired and a grievance cannot be registered with Ebay.

Anyway, it was a hard learned lesson. Now I am careful to only do business with Sellers I have come to know and trust. I've consequently had to pass on several very nice articles that in the past I would have not given a second thought about bidding on. But now-a-days, I prefer to error on the side of caution.

[torstenbel]

Hi Michael, sorry to hear that...I have personally not hat too many problems with other ebay sellers...but have recently had an experience of a seller sending another item than the one that was shown in the auction...the seller never accepted that is what he did...but the owner of the auction site (not ebay) did suspend that seller from their site...still, I had lost a fair amount of money in the process...ah well, I am now also being much more careful who I buy from in auctions...Cheers, Torsten.