Shell stamps

[Peter_Suciu]

I was curious if all para lids had stamps in the shells? Is it possible to come across one that is just stamped 71 as opposed to ET71 or the like?

I thought I had read a discussion about this a while ago. One New Jersey "dealer" had suggested this was a latewar issue where sizing was the only concern.

Someone else told me these might be fakes that were produced before the Czech ones hit the market and were made in Italy? Any thoughts on this subject?

[John Hodgin]

Hi Peter,

Every late war para helmet I've seen was letter coded as well as sized. Late war paras are not marked 'ET' however. More later. Here is a tryical late war interior.

Regards,
John

[Willi Z.]

"ckl" maker marked on the late-war ones..in the back. Czech repros use them too. "ET" marked on the side for those before that. I have never yet seen an original shell without a maker mark. I have seen some of the early post-war FJ shells......they are size marked, not maker marked. As they were made for military issue, and not for fooling collectors.

WZ