Last Saturday I recieved a phone call from a guy looking to sell a "German winter cap" and some kind of helmet. The items were his longtime girlfriends and he was basicly doing all the talking for her..Her grandfather was a 10th Mountain Division veteran (more on that at the end) and had brought these two items and two pistol rigs back with him. After about 30min of talking with him on the phone I couldn't nail down what he really had from what he was telling me, so last Saturday we agreed to meet at a location and I would take a look at what he had..
We were meeting at a Dept. store parking lot and when I pulled up he had both items out and laying on his trunk lid. Getting out of the car I immediatly recognized the helmet as a WWII American M1 helmet..I introduced myself and he then proceeded to show me the items..I didn't pick up the helmet and focused on what looked like a green M43 laying there all undone with the flap hanging out and the whole cap laying flat, hidding the insigna, like it had been pressed flat inside a large book..
I picked it up and put my hand inside to form shape the cap again to expose the front..
I was in for a shocker!
I remember saying to myself, Oh my God!
There looking right at me was a SS trapiziod insigna, with SS eagle, skull and crossbones!
Keeping my composure at this point was hard to do..
I looked at the inside and noticed the tell-tale cardboard underside of the visor,,this was a classic Dachau 43EM SS cap!..
Folks I don't need to tell you how rare SS cloth is, let alone a cap like this, and from the vet's family..
It was a nice worn example, nice sweat staining, nicely marked with a couple of moths bites in the rear area, nothing big...it only casualty was the two front buttons were missing, such a shame on such a rare and desirable cap. The threads where the two buttons once were were still there dangling...this was the only distraction to this cap..
I layed the cap down and then proceed to ask a few questions about her Grandpa. We then started to talk about a price..
They had a firm price intended and were not budging one bit I was told,,,I immedately agreed on it and my response was, "would you mind taking a check?"..He said hang on and went over to his girlfriend to consult her on it. He then came back and picked up both items and said we needed to think about it a little more and put both items in his trunk and said he would give me a call later...
I didn't know what to say! I was standing there thinking "you better do something quick!" All I could think of was "I'll be there waiting"
, man I felt like grabbing onto his leg and begging to keep him from leaving...they then drove away....
Man I was disgusted to say the least and my stomach in nots, needless to say I waited by the phone the rest of the evening that Saturday and all of Sunday,no call...By Monday I figured I had turned the deal sour somehow and had considered the cap lost...
Well after a few days of that the phone rang this past Wednesday evening, it was him!
He wanted me to come to their house to purchased the two items and look at some other WWII U.S. stuff of her Grandpa
had, including some unit photo's, letters and one of the pistol rigs. I agreed to meet within the hour..
When I arrived I viewed some other odds and ends, mostly personal stuff like photo's, letters and several local newspaper articles on him. There was one photo in pacticular that stood out(which was also published in his local paper in 1995 before his death), it was about 20 guys in the 10th Mountain division in Italy and two guys over was none other than former Senator Bob Dole! Very neat..
I wasted no time and secured both pieces of headgear and spent about another hourtalking to them about her Grandfather..I really enjoyed it and absolutely love the cap...I'll probably allways rememer this buy as SS items are extremely difficult to obtain from the vets family, especially cloth..
I don't have pics of it yet but I will take some this weekend to post..
Oh yeah, the other helmet was a American paratrooper helmet
How a 10th Mountain Div. vet got it I have'nt a clue..
We were meeting at a Dept. store parking lot and when I pulled up he had both items out and laying on his trunk lid. Getting out of the car I immediatly recognized the helmet as a WWII American M1 helmet..I introduced myself and he then proceeded to show me the items..I didn't pick up the helmet and focused on what looked like a green M43 laying there all undone with the flap hanging out and the whole cap laying flat, hidding the insigna, like it had been pressed flat inside a large book..
I picked it up and put my hand inside to form shape the cap again to expose the front..
I was in for a shocker!
I remember saying to myself, Oh my God!
There looking right at me was a SS trapiziod insigna, with SS eagle, skull and crossbones!
Keeping my composure at this point was hard to do..
I looked at the inside and noticed the tell-tale cardboard underside of the visor,,this was a classic Dachau 43EM SS cap!..
Folks I don't need to tell you how rare SS cloth is, let alone a cap like this, and from the vet's family..
It was a nice worn example, nice sweat staining, nicely marked with a couple of moths bites in the rear area, nothing big...it only casualty was the two front buttons were missing, such a shame on such a rare and desirable cap. The threads where the two buttons once were were still there dangling...this was the only distraction to this cap..
I layed the cap down and then proceed to ask a few questions about her Grandpa. We then started to talk about a price..
They had a firm price intended and were not budging one bit I was told,,,I immedately agreed on it and my response was, "would you mind taking a check?"..He said hang on and went over to his girlfriend to consult her on it. He then came back and picked up both items and said we needed to think about it a little more and put both items in his trunk and said he would give me a call later...
I didn't know what to say! I was standing there thinking "you better do something quick!" All I could think of was "I'll be there waiting"
, man I felt like grabbing onto his leg and begging to keep him from leaving...they then drove away....Man I was disgusted to say the least and my stomach in nots, needless to say I waited by the phone the rest of the evening that Saturday and all of Sunday,no call...By Monday I figured I had turned the deal sour somehow and had considered the cap lost...
Well after a few days of that the phone rang this past Wednesday evening, it was him!
He wanted me to come to their house to purchased the two items and look at some other WWII U.S. stuff of her Grandpa
had, including some unit photo's, letters and one of the pistol rigs. I agreed to meet within the hour..
When I arrived I viewed some other odds and ends, mostly personal stuff like photo's, letters and several local newspaper articles on him. There was one photo in pacticular that stood out(which was also published in his local paper in 1995 before his death), it was about 20 guys in the 10th Mountain division in Italy and two guys over was none other than former Senator Bob Dole! Very neat..
I wasted no time and secured both pieces of headgear and spent about another hourtalking to them about her Grandfather..I really enjoyed it and absolutely love the cap...I'll probably allways rememer this buy as SS items are extremely difficult to obtain from the vets family, especially cloth..
I don't have pics of it yet but I will take some this weekend to post..
Oh yeah, the other helmet was a American paratrooper helmet
How a 10th Mountain Div. vet got it I have'nt a clue..
Comment