What collectors used to do

[Perry Floyd]

After Ty's SS thread I thought I would start a thread what used to be considered "ok" or just overlooked as nothing much. Soome of the senoir collectors I'm sure will have some good stories here..
Here's what I know since I started collecting from talking to older collectors, dealers and looking at older collections.
Something that used to be very popular to do (around 20-25 yrs ago) to inhance the value of a helmet was to uncover the decal or decals from a overspray such as on a early reissue or from the camo paint. Often this was done by dealers, often getting experianced collectors to do this for them. It was done to add more value. Today this could take away 1/4 to 1/2 of its original value.
This one is actually done quite often today but didn't affect the value as much as it does today. Oiling and Waxing the shell.
You can see this alot on old reference books on German helmets. Making the helmets color more vibrant and hiding blemishes such as rust bleed through and chalkyness of the shell. It was in fact removing the patina...this treatmernt is reversable but will take a long time and today will knock a few $ off the helmets value to some..
This is a old dealer favorite, swaping out the leather of a helmet with one in better condition. This was done by alot of well known collectors/dealers many years ago, alot of whom would not want you knowing this today. 25-30 years ago helmets were for the most part surplus and could be had for cheap money so swapping out something to make a better helmet was done quite often...today I would say it can take away from a helmat in some cases as much as 2/3 of the helmets original value..
There are some more but I'll let some other collectors add to this, Remember back then alot of this was not much of a big deal..
This has changed dramaticly....

[ccmax]

I can add another thing. Dissassembling liners and aluminum bands to do some cleaning. Older collectors I met used to do a lot of this. They would remove the split pins and liner to clean off the dust build up behind the aluminum, because "dirt is not collectable".

I know a guy who has a SS DD M40. He dissassembled the helmet when he got it, around 1979. Waxed it all over and you can see the shiny helmet even today on his shelf.

I can only agree at 100 % with above mentionned points...

[Jean-Loup]

Unfortunately, there are vast amounts of collectors (I know several) that arent as "in" as most of us on this forum are, who dont get helmets often, but when they do, take them apart to clean them... Like having a bit of dust hiden under the liner band is something dramatic. Some of these are weapons types. You know how you take your gun appart and grease it, well, they think helmets need the same treatment.
Then there is the vast club of those who think they have to save helmets from the rust ("they rust because there is oxygen in the air") by putting whatever shiny product on it. Some supposedly dry up after six months, but others dont!
I can stand looking at helmets that are all shinny like mirors. Its ridicules.
Und so weiter.....

[Luftm40]

Another one is putting clear shelaq over the shell. Actually, I think vets probably did this more than collectors

[Perry Floyd]

Also the few chickenwired helmets that managed to survive ended up having the wire taken off to clean then put back on by a collector in the early days....

[BobI]

GEEZ,
I have nightmares about what I used to do. But when I was 10-20 years of age I needed to make money to buy militaria. I can remember my specialty was putting liners from Italian helmets into German helmet shells. Then they would end up camouflaged or my specialty was AFRIKA helmets with the palmtree! I sold them honestly but I am sure they were re-sold as real. I also used to put good liners in good helmets, essentially building a good helmet from salvaged parts. My worst crime was with Japanese Swords, I would buy a sword from a dealer, strip and separate the fittings and sell the blade. The blade would recoup my investment and the parts were my profit. I feel horrible these days about my past but almost everyone did these types of things they just won’t admit it. It did help my collection grow tremendously however; I now have to deal with my conscious!
Best Wishes,
Bob

[Ty Smith]

One way to look at it is things are worth more now because so many people screwed around with the items years ago. I remember once seeing a really nice para helmet repainted purple with a with a big 60's peace symbol painted on top..

Bob, One of your old artworks is probably on my shelf.

[Edelweiss]

Tales from the crypt...

One more horror tale ? I know an advanced collector (!) who owned an untouched german paratrooper helmet, only a few years ago. This helmet (and the period owner) received a gun shot on the left side ; the liner was damaged, and stained with blood and some other disgusting things... So, to give the item a better look, he replaced the liner with a new period one (at least...), made big $$$ with the helmet and sold the old liner apart.

Errors are forgivable when you are too young to understand ; but not any more in this case. What's the weight of history and items "soul" compared to $$$ ?
Did you say "peanuts" ?

[Del Panfini]

what collectors used to do

I have a helmet just like Perry described. It is a white washed camo. Before I purchased it, someone tried to see if it had a decal or what branch of service it was from, so they liberated an army eagle. The eagle is smudged from wiping off the paint/whitewash. If anyone is interested in seeing it I will take pictures of it this weekend. DEL

[Dan T]

Interesting but re lining helmets was also a routine part of field maintenance for German troops as the leather used to rot.
Very helmets, even ones not messed around with, have the very first liner still attached.

[Jean-Loup]

Hey Edelweis, that para helmet with blood in it. Was it the one Jean Jaques had at one point. Cant believe someone would do that...
JL

[Edelweiss]

You'll never know, I NEVER give names, even under torture.
And you schould do the same.

[Perry Floyd]

Sure Del post soom pics of it, you see many of these liberated decaled helmets today...

[SgtB]

How about pouring beer on your helmet?

Back around 1970, I received my first german helmet from a
friend of my dad's who liberated it himself, along with a bunch
of other field gear. It was the best looking M-42 I've seen. No
decals but the greatest smooth feldgrau paint. I also had one
of those black plastic 'surfing helmets' I ordered out of a
magazine. My buddy and I used to play 'soldat 'all the time in
the fields and woods nearby.

Anyway, one day we went with his mom to a reunion out by
the lake and took all our gear along. I usually wore the M-42 and
made him wear the plastic helmet, but he wanted to impress
his uncle who was a WWII vet. Well his uncle wasn't all that
impressed, apparently, because he proceeded to empty the
entire contents of his beer bottle on the M-42!

Not a purist,I guess. It wasn't even germanbeer!