SS Headgear Test

[sturmbannfuhrer]

Are you sure, everything is 100% original? When I read your description, I have some doubts about it...
As I look to Tony's post, he has good points! And about the helmet, worn by a member of the SS, who was in Stalingrad??
Are you sure nobody is trying to screw you?

But if the story is correct, I also would go for the visor. Why spend 5000 dollar for an helmet with no markings or decal?? I would search for a SS marked helmet, for that amount of money!

But this is only my opinion, ofcourse.

I would like to hear your opinion, Brian.

Kind regards,
Nick

I think Brian has posted a hypothetical senario to gage collectors individual preference if "given" two choices of what you could buy for $5000.

It has given us a good idea of what collectors thoughts are, however, just all remember Brian's post is hypothetical so he has a bit of leway with it.

My opinion is it is a good post from Brian as it certainly has got us thinking of which choice to blow our 5000 bucks on .

[CurtD]

Here we have a very good example of why the free market is superior to a centrally-controlled economy.

(It's never a bad time for a economics lesson -- especially in the U.S. where most people are clueless about basic economics).

The marketplace tells us that a mint, unused SS armband (or anything else for that matter) will go for a much higher price than a used, salty one. Yet many say that the history should outweigh the condition. If the price were being set by a central committee somewhere, they might decide that used armbands should be priced higher than mint ones -- which would be incorrect. This would lead to a shortage of mint armbands and an oversupply of used ones.

This is why centrally-controlled economies are a disaster and doomed to failure. The free market will set the price according to reality (actual demand vs. supply) and adjust itself automatically to changing conditions.

Imagine the Soviet Union where you had committees trying to decide the price of lettuce, shoes, pencils, TV's, beer, fuel, screwdrivers, medicine, etc. It is impossible to do -- as they found out.

[CurtD]

As for my personal preference, I always prefer something that was actually used during the period rather than having sat on a shelf in storage. And usually the used items are cheaper.

But in some cases (like with Dachau insignia), it is much easier to find mint, unused examples than used ones.

[Robert H]

I really would love to see pictures from this Gen. visor cap.

In reagrds of the value differences I think we don´t have to talk about it as we know how hard it is to find and original SS Gen. visor cap. Still would love to know if it is a black or green visor cap. The price for an original black one is not sky high it is already high over the sky with the market price and you could buy a couple W-SS helmets in many different variations for the value of such a cap.

[sgstandard]

Test

CURT D - EXCELLENT points. As for my choice......A NO-BRAINER!!! I'd take the helmet cause, I mean, how hard is it to make a photocopy of an SS decal and glue it to a helmet with a gob of model glue? C'mon fellas - THINK!!
Seriously, I'd rather have a Waffen-SS crusher cap than a general's complete uniform, including his silverware and tea set.

[CWP]

For me it is really a no-brainer, I would be much happier with the helmet. Unissued items just don't do anything for me. Identified items with provenance are really exciting. If a helmet could be absolutely proven to have been worn in combat in Stalingrad, what a treasure that would be.

[bwanek1]

For me it is really a no-brainer, I would be much happier with the helmet. Unissued items just don't do anything for me. Identified items with provenance are really exciting. If a helmet could be absolutely proven to have been worn in combat in Stalingrad, what a treasure that would be.

Amen, brother!

[sgstandard]

Less filling vs. Tastes great

If, indeed, the provenance was iron-clad, there's be a good case to be made for the helmet. Is ANY prevenance actually iron-clad, though? If your father brings it back from the war, hands it to you, and says, "I took this off a dead Kraut at Stalingrad", it's probably pretty good provenance. However, even a father might fudge the truth a little, because saying he traded a pack of smokes for it sounds a little less glamorous. Paper provenance can be forged or misrepresented. Those even came in Wheaties boxes at one time. Therefore, please post the photo of my new unissued SS general's visor so all those who chose the helmet can enjoy it, then ship to me ASAP.

[Federico Perez]

The SS general hat all the way.

If you take an WW1 M18 helmet and put it besides an no decal SS-RZM helmet model they will look "almost" the same BUT as we know thay are not, in construction details,history and of course price. The same here with the SS general cap question, it has the details,historical time frame and rarity of the ITEM desing specifically for the SS, even if we are talking of a grey Waffen SS one. The original items we collect, with or with-out owner names are the only direct link to our world past history, and is that history who give us the information to put a "value of rarity" to this objects. My humble opinion of course!!

Federico

[Federico Perez]

sorry!!

[Matthew S.]

Usually, I prefer the history -- that is why I look for used items.

But in this case, for $5000, I would go with the SS cap. You can get genuine, used helmets (even with markings) that have been all over the place for a hell of a lot less than $5K. The SS cap is still an SS cap, it was just never used. It is made just like all the other SS caps, by the same people, at the same time, and is still a part of history. And $5K is less than 1/4 the going price of an SS general's cap.

Yeah, what he said...

[Mr.Jerry D]

I would think to be a truer test, the $5k is out, pretend you are in the Veterans living room, and he says "you can have one of them, but my son gets the other one"

so then which one do you take?

[Dr. Strangelove]

Generals

No sweat, I got this one. I take the unissued Generals Visor and outlive you and sell it for a massive profit to some fool with money who loves minty stuff.