Italian SS helmet M33 (?)

[DougB]

The paint and the camo look old.PaoloM

Paolo/Dennis the patina on this one and aging does look the part based on the pics, at least to these eyes. Curious to see what some of the camo guys think over in the steel section. But it looks the part!

[Dennis S]

I can only say I always liked it and most of the helmet guys were in diapers when I bought it. I am not saying they are not sharp though. Bill Shea saw it many years ago and told me he liked it. Stefano(Flashider) has handled it a couple of times also. He will tell you what he thinks I am sure. No story to the helmet other than it was in an old American Collection years ago and I chased it down through the old "Gauleiter" ad when few were interested in these types of things.

[DougB]

I own several Allgemeine SS hand rendered or stenciled insignia helmets formerly owned by Darryl Pajot and other esteemed SS collectors before him, and there is a certain look to them, this one by the pics, has a very similar look. I like it!

[Dennis S]

If I remember correctly it came out of the collection of Stan Boczik(sic) of Detroit.

[flashider]

Thanks Doug for all the explanations regarding SS decals
You know....I must send you the ET62 SD helmet for the test...probably the next week I will go to the owner to bring it!
(Regarding the "nuclear microscopic" I was joking...I wrote it to explain to Rich that his decal don't need any test)

Your helmet, Dennis, is the only SS that I love....
Your photos don't give it justice...

It's very hard to tell that I am 100% sure that is original...But it has a patina very difficult to reproduce...The paint appears to be very old...So, at the moment, for me is the only Italian SS helmet in USA that could be OK!!

Sell it to me!!!!

Stefano

[Ric Ferrari]

Thanks Doug for all the explanations regarding SS decals
You know....I must send you the ET62 SD helmet for the test...probably the next week I will go to the owner to bring it!
(Regarding the "nuclear microscopic" I was joking...I wrote it to explain to Rich that his decal don't need any test)......

Hello flash,

and thanks for your post, just for a future need I quote it

Any further comments by experts out there ?

Ric

[Lafitte]

A topic explosion!!

And finally some decal close-ups

Can be wrong but that decal look like put on the light italian greygreen color, from the close un under the decal there isn't the dark green and the rough finish.
Why?

That kind of rough finish vas wery popolar in Italy from 80 years, in the head of collectors born this idea: the only good RSI helmets must be have the same dark rough finisf of the german helmets, i can believe but the german helmets was paint in factory with that varnish. I can think what some gallons of the colors was send to the operation zone for some repairs but not for alls RSI helmets.

That finish remenber to me a fakes school what at the time work in Romagna, are know other fakes with that color E. Muti and RSI Army helmets in example.

[Lafitte]

Not the same of those you can see on well known fake SS decals.
Here two to compare.

In this case not only the decal is it a fake but all the helmet!!

[Lafitte]

Ric,
Yes, it's my opinion!

Please, watch the photo....It's original...I found this animal in a lake near my house.

If you don't believe in it...please remember:
"the point is that you have never seen one like that and you were never able to check one like that in hands, so any comment is undestandable but remains what it is : a comment."





I am joking!!!

That's great, i want one for me too!!
Another chimera!!!

[Lafitte]

20x loupe is totally different than 400x digital which is why I ask. That undresses the decal completely. Examining many fake SS decals, and many many real ones of all varieties (except an Italian) at that level of detail there are fingerprints on real SS decals I have not seen on fake SS decals and certain charachteristics on fakes that are not seen on real ones.

Also the metallic content is faked, you cannot judge an SS decal because it has metallic content or not, with reference to the "crushed glass" fake Pocher, and some new (and older) very good fake SS decals, the pulver is reproduced.

Some work is also being done involving archaeometry on decals as well, which exposes the elemental composition of the decals pulver itself. And again, hi detailed magnification also can expose a fake pulver as well, however most SS decal experts can pick the fakes out visually, but it is a tool that is interesting to see the substructure layer below the pulver and the details one sees at this level of magnification.

I agree!!

[Lafitte]

See circled areas, not nec. the kiss of death but the angles of the marks, the width, etc just looks artificial to my eyes and not natural. Perhaps in hand it appears to be not so much.

From this pic the damage of the helmet looks appened before that was paint with dark rough finish infact the dark green varnish not have damages on it. (only the little points), in this case can be interesting to see the inner part of the helmet what probably (i think) was with original light grey green.

[Lafitte]

All the ones posted by other members are supposed fake, but to my knowledge the decals alone are not available on the market.

Ric

Not supposed but really fakes Ric!!
Is it wrong to think what this decals was made to sell it in a shop, the hight quality decals was made in few pieces from the faker because may be at the time was a collector interesting in a pice like this.
So is it impossible to find it around the shops, thats can be in the house of the faker!!

[Ric Ferrari]

Then may I assume nobody among Italian "experts" is able to show the exact same decal ?

Ric

[flashider]

Ric,
If you ask this question to experts...Nobody has an helmet like yours...Fortunately

[Ric Ferrari]

Ric,
If you ask this question to experts...Nobody has an helmet like yours...Fortunately

Thanks, received

Ric