FJ helmet with wire on Manions

[Willi Z.]

This helmet is almost an exact copy of one owned by CM and featured in several books. Now on Manions. Any comments.......

Willi

[Willi Z.]

Another view........

[Willi Z.]

One more........

[Peter_Suciu]

Hey Willi--
I'll jump in and suggest the liner looks to be in nice shape considering the external wear to the shell. Hard to think that a helmet would get such even rusting on the outside and around the wire, yet the liner seems strangely fresh almost.

The color of the chinstraps seems a bit off I think. Hard to tell in the photo. Something about these straps doesn't seem quite right either.

That's all I have for now. But the "uneven" wear of the shell and liner bother me enough that I'd have to ask someone like you if you could come up with a reason.

Cheers,
PS

[Luftm40]

The stitching across the central seam in the liner looks wrong to me...like one of the liners on the czech fakes. The color of the leather also has that oily, reddish/brown look like many fakes I've seen.

[Ty Smith]

Looks to good to be true,. Not sure how straps could look so good on a heavily used combat helmet like that.

[Phil_C]

What bids are on this at the moment? can you email the bidders to let them know it's fake?

Regards
Phil

[Willi Z.]

Can we say "total Czech repro?".......

Phil, on your comments....many of us have tried to help bidders on items. It is a full time job.....the best one can do is to help their friends, and get the word out in the best way you can.

Sadly, the new breed (in many cases) of collector is of the "dot.com collector" type who think that very rare items are just there waiting for them to bid on...or click on a website and buy it with a credit card.......or they want it all, and they want it now! The best collections were not, and are not, built that way. Time and patience.........and networking....chasing a unique helmet for years til the deal is closed. The old breed is of the type who used to paint figures, and spend 100's of hours to create a force, just in order to play a wargame. The new breed just inserts a computer wargame and has it right away. May seem like a silly analogy, but it is true.....and why so many get taken today. Collecting is just not that simple.......my philosophy...as to why so many get ripped off. And then there is ego......

The true lesson in this....and being frank here....only a fool would place absolute trust in any auction, or in any dealer. Of course some are better than others, and some really do try.....but, you have to know what you are doing.

Willi

[Peter_Suciu]

Willi--You make an excellent point on how the collecting has changed. I started out years ago and then drifted out of it and when I began collecting again I probably did rely on the Internet too much. Hey, I was buying books, DVDs, bikes, paintball guns and all kinds of other things...so why not military collectibles?

For some pieces I still use the ease of online connections and I've scored a few real finds, and as you know I've had some terrible luck. But one thing that is worth mentioning is that a credit card and the Internet can also be safer than laying down $4000 too! I was able to fight and get my money back...of course had I seen the helmet on a table I might have turned tail and run away.

As I told you I'm focusing on my World War I interests right now because the paratrooper helmet situation is so bloody disappointing. I can honestly say I would want your opinion or Eric's or Prosper's before I dropped serious cash on a para lid. In the meantime I've been reading every book I can on pickelhaubes and talking with other collectors and dealing with collectors I believe I can trust.

But I also want to add you summed it up when you said that anyone who would spend $4000+ on the stock market would read up and think seriously about it, but with a helmet they tend to think for ten minutes and throw down the money.

[JohnB]

wire para

Willi, The liner on this helmet is a czech repo. Also the wire is bad, mud has been put on the shell to suggest age. I suspect it is just another bad ET71, this time using pics of CM's helmet as a model.

Can you ever remember a good wire para coming out of Manions?
John