ebay FJ helmet authentication

[Alan Smith]

Any thoughts on this FJ helmet from e-bay? My assumption is that it is a fake w/ artificial ageing, but I would appreciate your opinions. A friend of mine bid on it but was outbid (which, I suspect, was a blessing for him).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-ORIGINAL...vip=true&rt=nc

Thanks!

[mwl]

...which, I suspect, was a blessing for him...

Indeed, Alan...
Regards,
Mats

[andre1983bl]

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/252278137769?...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

restored relic, your toughds?

[Scott G.]

So, I bought a relic...

Hello all,
I took a chance purchasing a relic M 38 shell on Ebay. I was hoping that it was a 68cm shell, but it turned out to be a 71 cm. The thing is though, is that the shape of it looks a lot more accurate to me than any of the reproductions that I own. I took a look at it through a usb microscope and could not make out any of the size or batch number stampings, but I see what appears to be the remanents of a dome stamp inside and possibly the insignia on the outside. It has a very old looking dark rust patina. Was the 71 cm shell a common size for the real thing? I have always thought that they picked the smallest soldiers to be paratroopers. Thanks in advance for any assistance that you can provide me with.

Scott G.

[Scott G.]

M 38 relic...real or reproduction?

Hello all,
I took a chance purchasing a relic M 38 shell on Ebay. I was hoping that it was a 68cm shell, but it turned out to be a 71 cm. The thing is though, is that the shape of it looks a lot more accurate to me than any of the reproductions that I own. I took a look at it through a usb microscope and could not make out any of the size or batch number stampings, but I see what appears to be the remanents of a dome stamp inside and possibly the insignia on the outside. It has a very old looking dark rust patina. Was the 71 cm shell a common size for the real thing? I have always thought that they picked the smallest soldiers to be paratroopers. Thanks in advance for any assistance that you can provide me with.

Scott G.

I'm not sure how to post pictures of it here

[Scott G.]

I think that it has a batch number stamped into the rear skirt. I can make out what looks like an '8'. Where ETs stamped in the rear?

[Scott G.]

Okay, now I'm very confused...I think that I can make out an ET71 stamping, but its on the inside of the side that would have had the national emblem on it....not the eagle side, and its nearer to the backside of the shell, not the front brim??? Any thoughts about this? I wish that I could submit photos. I can make it out without magnification if the light hits it just right.

[naxos]

Hello all,
I have always thought that they picked the smallest soldiers to be paratroopers.
Scott G.

Scott, my father was 189 centimeters (6 foot 2) and a Fallschirmjager. No height restrictions for German paratroopers.

As for helmet size - his was 68 - I believe sizes 66 and 68 are the most common.

[Scott G.]

Naxos, Much respect. Thank you for sharing your para info. I remember reading that there was a boxer in the German Paras and that there were lots of pictures of him for propaganda and promotion of the corps, so I was not implying that ALL Paras were short. When we were kids, our friends in the Army Cadets would tell us that shorter soldiers were preferred for the Para regiments so that they could better fit into the small confines of the plane fuselage...maybe that was just a 'Canadian' thing My first Para helmet, (that sparked my collecting bug) is a British made BMB MK 3 issued to a Canadian. It has a small shell. I was under the belief that an FJ 71cm shell was a rare item and that they are made in the replica world mainly because so many modern re-enactors are much larger than the average soldier in World War 2. This is why I have mainly sought after a 68cm shell. I'm having a hard time determining if what I have here is a true 71cm relic. I cannot ever hope to be able to afford a complete, authentic FJ helmet.

[Scott G.]

this has been my search method that has had to been updated since I first started seeking an FJ helmet in the 1970s;
I learned to stay clear of anything with a 66cm shell, because in the 1970s and into the early 80s, many of these were 'cut down' and modified post war stahlhelm shells. In the 1990s all that I could ever find were post war para helmets or poor copies. Today, the market is flooded with the replica 71cm shells. So, I've always believed that a 68cm shell was a safer bet, because I felt that fewer people would be inclined to cut down a rare 68cm stahlhelm shell and I have not seen any decent looking 68cm replica shells on the market....at least recently. To date, I've seen one 66cm shell that looked to me to be real and never in 40+ years of searching have I ever seen a 68cm shell up close.

[Scott G.]

I now believe that it was wishful thinking on my part...I cannot say with any certainty that I can make out any maker's or size stampings. Either they were never there or the shell is just too corroded. Still, I'm impressed by the overall shape of this shell, even if the 71cm size suggests to me that it is possibly an aged repro.

[YankeeBill]

Calling all experts

Hello everybody I'm new to this forum my name is Bill. In all honesty this is my sons world of history WWI and WWII, he is a young buck and has a deep passion for military history. He is on a path of wanting and collecting military items. I want to prevent him from making wrong decisions and bad purchases. So when a person is trying to learn and educate themselves they seek out the most knowledgeable people so here I'am. After reading a bit on this forum I'm hoping some of the more experienced people in this field can give me some real insight? You can read all day long about originals and fake helmets what I'm hoping for is that some of you will give the tell tale signs of what your looking for to determine it's authenticity while viewing a picture.

I hope this works

http://www.ebay.com/itm/german-paratrooper-ww2-normandy-camoflage-/122169034744?hash=item1c71d787f8%3Ag%3AkNoAAOSw8oF XzsCD&nma=true&si=6Y7%252Fipz3foy6kXizvlJJN8YC%252 FKk%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l25 57[/IMG]

[YankeeBill]

Edit to my post, learning curve

[QUOTE=YankeeBill;7575670]Hello everybody I'm new to this forum my name is Bill. In all honesty this is my sons world of history WWI and WWII, he is a young buck and has a deep passion for military history. He is on a path of wanting and collecting military items. I want to prevent him from making wrong decisions and bad purchases. So when a person is trying to learn and educate themselves they seek out the most knowledgeable people so here I'am. After reading a bit on this forum I'm hoping some of the more experienced people in this field can give me some real insight? You can read all day long about originals and fake helmets what I'm hoping for is that some of you will give the tell tale signs of what your looking for to determine it's authenticity while viewing a picture.

I hope this works, here are a few pictures can all the pro's point out the negatives to this helmet. Thank you

[M35]

Hello Bill

Welcome to the forum.

This is one to stay away from. Everything is bad. The shell, the liner, the straps, the decal, the bolts. It does not have the exactly correct shape and the stitching on the liner and straps is wrong. There are lots of little "tells" that give it away such as the rolled rim, the design of the decal, the color of the leather, etc. It is good that you check out ANY possible purchase here first!

Cheers,
Terry

[YankeeBill]

M35

Thank you for the reply, everything is wrong with this helmet can you elaborate on the areas that you mention! So I can understand and learn to spot the fakes in the future. Any info is appreciated. Thank you again Bill