Flea Market Type 90 helmet

[hink441]

Found this helmet shell at the local flea market. Not real familar with these helmets but it was very cheap.

Not sure why anyone would paint a sloppy white stripe down the middle. Appears to be an un modified type 90 relic shell. Has the number "419" stamped inside the helmet. Any ideas on the number or stripe?

Chris

[hink441]

Inside picture. Only remaining paint is around the liner suspension loops on the inside of the helmet.

[hink441]

The "419" stamp on the interior top of helmet shell.

[hink441]

Last picture. Any ideas on what happened to this helmet???

[Bill Hermann]

Looks like it was sitting in the middle of the road when the line markers went through..... .

[Jareth]

Never seen a skunk striped helmet My only guess is it was utilized for civilian defense or post war used. Not having a liner or chinstrap to add clues makes it tough to just judge the shell

[hink441]

Looks like a child painted the off-center stripe. It really is crooked!!

I wonder if it could have been a impromptu soap box derby helmet???

Anybody seen numbers stamped inside the shell before?

Chris

[Will G.]

I haven't seen one

[hink441]

I might try to restore this shell. I don't think I would do any harm to this already stripped shell. Any recommendations or thoughts concerning the the restoration process?

Chris

[Will G.]

First get rid of the white stripe, you can buy a nicely made repro liner and star, by the way the character stamped into the helmet in photo #2 that looks like an upside down letter Y that has been crossed like a T , is kanji for size large and the S in the diamond is KOBE STEEL where the helmet was made.

Bill

[hink441]

Thanks for the info Bill.

I have stripped the white stripe from the helmet. Looks okay. Now I have to find some similar colored paint, liner and star.

Chris

[hink441]

I have a coat of paint on the helmet now. I mixed this color up in my garage. The color is somewhat close, about as good as I am gonna get.

Now I have to get a liner and a chinstrap.

Chris