Naval Landing Forces Helmet Opinions Please!

[William J]

Hello,

A friend located this Japanese naval helmet in an estate. Although I primarily collect German militaria, I own a Japanese Army helmet (with cover) and a Marine Landing Forces helmet with netting.

I hardly ever see the naval type helmets offered for sale. This one has never been in a collection before. I would appreciate opinions on several questions I have, and I thank you in advance.

[William J]

Helmet Front

The paint is perhaps 90% present on the shell and the majority of the anchor is present.

[William J]

Anchor

Close-Up

[William J]

Interior

The leather liner is complete with the original string tie in the crown. In addition, the chinstraps, although somewhat tattered, are complete.

[William J]

Flaw 1

I would like the forum membership to see the only detractions I was able to find regarding the helmet. First, is the fact that the front rivet (painted yellow) has pulled loose from the liner.

[RCE]

Very nice helmet, good find.

[William J]

Second flaw

In the rear of the liner, the string that once held the sections of the leather liner band have been lost. The liner is still sound and intact, but the string has been lost to time.

[William J]

Final flaw

While the paint is nice overall, there is a small patch of what appears to be active rust! I would really like to halt this process and preserve the helmet from further damage, and I would appreciate any advice.

[William J]

My last question...value.

I really like this helmet, and I believe that this piece, in spite of what I consider are minor flaws, is a scarce item in very collectible condition.

I have been offered this helmet for approximately $500. I am far from an authority on Japanese headgear and would appreciate any assistance. I know that I have seen very few of these type helmets on the marketplace, and I feel the price to be a fair one. Please let me know if you agree or disagree.

Thank you all for your time!

Great collecting and God bless,

William

[Jareth]

William, very nice helmet that's well worth the asking price irregardless of any flaws! I follow pricing of Japanese helmets & if you consider what nice condition army helmets are selling for this is a bargain. Mark my words "Japanese helmets are steadily rising in value, will continue to do so & are a great investment"!!

[MikeB]

Naval Landing Forces helmet....

I have to agree with Jareth. This helmet is a keeper. I have one that looks much like yours. The rivet for the anchor has also pulled through on mine! They could be twins!! I also have a little rust on mine, but nothing to sweat about. I would not take $500.00 for my Naval marked helmet. ......and as Jareth said, with prices steadily rising for Japanese helmets (I have seen some standard army versions going for $900.00, Yikes!!!) you have a nice opportunity. I almost forgot, the uncut ties strings are nice too. Mike

[Eric Doody]

William,

I agree with Jareth and Mike!

Japanese helmets keep going up and up in price and $500.00 is a fair price to pay for such a helmet.

Eric

[William J]

Thank you gentlemen!

To Jareth, Mike, and Eric, I truly appreciate your responses as your opinions mean a great deal to me. I am sending payment today and I consider this helmet an excellent addition. While I am very glad to see Japanese helmets finally receiving the interest they deserve, I also realize that when an opportunity does present itself to acquire an excellent conditioned or uncommon example, a collector better act quickly!

Jareth, with "common" German army helmet types, such as a single decal M-40, going for $400 to $800 or more, I absolutely agree that Japanese combat helmets, which are much more difficult to find, can do nothing but increase. There are far fewer out there for collectors to scramble over.

Mike, I'd love to see pics of your naval helmet sometime. My email is wjabour@bellsouth.net if you'd like to send pictures. If our helmets are "twins", it's certain they weren't "separated at birth" but may have been taken on the same atoll or during the same campaign. It's something we'll never know but interesting to think about.

Again, thanks to all. Finally, if someone has any thoughts about controlling the rust, I'd like to hear. Or if it's better to just leave it as it is, I'll do that also.

Great collecting to all!

William

[MikeB]

NLF Helmet

Hello William-
Thanks for the email address. I will try and dig it out if I can find it and wing a few images your way. Mike

[Jean-Loup]

About the "active rust", I would leaveit alone, or if you must, do something reversible (wax, oil, but I would not advise to do so). Dont try to scratch it with steel wole, etc. If the helmet is stored in proper conditions, nothing should change.

In the picture below, you can see a very desirable US helmet of mine, that has rust on the neck guarde, because the chinstrap was passed over it for 50 years, attracting humidity. I left the helmet as such, and took a picture of the rust. In the past 6 years or so, it hasnt buged one bit. I sometimes check with the old picture I took years ago, to make sure.
As far as I know (I am not a chemist) the term active rust doesnt even mean anything. Bare iron is always ready to rust if put in the correct conditions, and "active rust" wouldnt in my opinion change nothing, exept maybe if the helmet got wet, or was in a humid environment, it might have a tendency to attract, or keep water more, because of the unsmooth surface. Store it properly, and I am more or less certain there will be no evolution, active rust or not.
JL