David,
Thanks for posting the photos of your Japanese helmets and headgear.
I offer the following feedback on your pieces:
- The yellow painted anchor on your shipboard blue Navy helmet appears to be a repainted original anchor. The shipboard blue painted shell looks like it may have been repainted too. The liner inside the helmet looks like it may be a post war reproduction liner as does the draw string and chin straps.
- The Army helmet with the large yellow star looks like a post-war reworked helmet as the liner is and chin strap retaining system are not Japanese. The large yellow star on the front of the shell is also not Japanese and in my opinion is a post war reproduction star that someone made up and added to the shell.
- Bobby R. has already commented on the Navy helmet cover and I am in agreement with his comments.
- The other Navy helmet and Army helmet do not appear to be correct either and my guess is that these helmets have been "enhanced" by someone.
- Of the two civil defense/home guard helmets, one of them appears to be untouched while the other one someone has added a reproduction insignia to the shell.
- The Imperial Guard enlisted man's visor hat looks okay from the photos, but the chin strap and visor look new and thus further examination would be required. (I recently examine a reproduction Imperial Guard enlisted man's visor hat, which was very well made and marked, that turned out to be a reproduction so my guess is that this hat may be a reproduction as well.)
- Insofar as the two Army field soft caps, neither cap is good in my opinion. On the one cap with the stamping, someone went through a lot of trouble to fabricate a some what readable Japanese stamping. However, there are numerous other issues with both caps such as the insignia, which appears to be home made and exceedingly large, chin strap, etc.
I wish this news was better, but unfortunately it's not. If I can be of any further assistance to you, please let me know.
Eric
Thanks for posting the photos of your Japanese helmets and headgear.
I offer the following feedback on your pieces:
- The yellow painted anchor on your shipboard blue Navy helmet appears to be a repainted original anchor. The shipboard blue painted shell looks like it may have been repainted too. The liner inside the helmet looks like it may be a post war reproduction liner as does the draw string and chin straps.
- The Army helmet with the large yellow star looks like a post-war reworked helmet as the liner is and chin strap retaining system are not Japanese. The large yellow star on the front of the shell is also not Japanese and in my opinion is a post war reproduction star that someone made up and added to the shell.
- Bobby R. has already commented on the Navy helmet cover and I am in agreement with his comments.
- The other Navy helmet and Army helmet do not appear to be correct either and my guess is that these helmets have been "enhanced" by someone.
- Of the two civil defense/home guard helmets, one of them appears to be untouched while the other one someone has added a reproduction insignia to the shell.
- The Imperial Guard enlisted man's visor hat looks okay from the photos, but the chin strap and visor look new and thus further examination would be required. (I recently examine a reproduction Imperial Guard enlisted man's visor hat, which was very well made and marked, that turned out to be a reproduction so my guess is that this hat may be a reproduction as well.)
- Insofar as the two Army field soft caps, neither cap is good in my opinion. On the one cap with the stamping, someone went through a lot of trouble to fabricate a some what readable Japanese stamping. However, there are numerous other issues with both caps such as the insignia, which appears to be home made and exceedingly large, chin strap, etc.
I wish this news was better, but unfortunately it's not. If I can be of any further assistance to you, please let me know.
Eric
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