WIW WWII Nazi Helmet

[bull]

The swastika (sp?) is not authentic.  At least that's what grandpa told me.  His buddies allegedly painted that on there along with the "greetings from France"  and the "Les Doro" part.  He always told me that was a bullet hole also.  Haven't really looked at it too closely. 

Personally I doubt that's a bullet hole because it's too perfect. The edges of the hole would be bent inward if it were made by a bullet; that just looks like a spot where there once was a rivet. If you look at the other side you can see where there's a rivet in the middle of the swastika that lines up with the empty hole.

[Drache]

Its not a bullet hole  since if it was you'd be looking at a very large dent on the outside not a perfect hole. It makes sense that the swastika was painted on by your grandfather but that would also bring the worth of it way down.

[RT DAVE]

Its not a bullet hole  since if it was you'd be looking at a very large dent on the outside not a perfect hole. It makes sense that the swastika was painted on by your grandfather but that would also bring the worth of it way down.

It was painted on there by his buddies during the war, not my grandfather.  Same dif I guess?  Anyhow, it's a piece of history and I would think whatever a soldier decided to do to it "in the day" might not affect quite that badly.  I have no way to validate that.  Maybe they could do an analysis on the paint..   

I vote for it being a vent hole.  There are other rivits in that particular area if you look closely... 

[Red Ram]

I have a "local" collector that offered $150 and was going to come to my house immediately from a location 100 miles away.  I told him no.  I'm not selling.  The main reasons I would sell are mainly 1. I won't display in my home.   2. This other guy has a good collection and would appreciate more  3. my g-pa kept it in his basement in a remote corner. 

In regards to the term "Les Doro", that is FRENCH for "the grave" not Spanish. 

The swastika (sp?) is not authentic.  At least that's what grandpa told me.  His buddies allegedly painted that on there along with the "greetings from France"  and the "Les Doro" part.  He always told me that was a bullet hole also.  Haven't really looked at it too closely. 

Thank you all for your input.  You've all made me feel as though i've made the right decision.  I think I will donate to a museum if I decide to get rid of it.   

I think a museum is the appropriate place for memorabilia like that...it does have historical value. Selling stuff like that gives me a bad feeling. I was at an antique show a while ago and a collector of this kind of stuff was selling jewish star patches that the concentration camp victims were wearing. To me that's just sick...and I let him know how I felt.

[BMOTOXSTAR]

Antique Road Show bro.

[Silver R/T]

you probably could sell it for more if you were to sell it to someone in Germany

[Nacho-RT74]

you probably could sell it for more if you were to sell it to someone in Germany

OR MAYBE NOT. Germans are a little bit upset for those darkness years... as far I know not too much proud of. ( beside the engineering advances of those years )

[Brock Samson]

Todd, What's that helmet you got there made out of?.. i thought they were metal?..   

[Old Moparz]

Todd, What's that helmet you got there made out of?.. i thought they were metal?..   

Looks like the "liner" that cushions the steel from your head. Not sure if it's called something else, but I have a set too. The liner part I've had since I was a kid, but don't know where it came from. The steel helmet I actually garbage picked. Saw it on top of a box of junk by someone's trash one day as I drove past & decided that after 35 years I needed the steel part to cover the liner.   

[Neal_J]

Not to burst your bubble, but I believe the swastiska is painted incorrectly.  The lower left "arm" should point to the left, not down.

My two cents...

Peace,

Neal

[RT DAVE]

Not to burst your bubble, but I believe the swastiska is painted incorrectly.  The lower left "arm" should point to the left, not down.

My two cents...

Peace,

Neal

No problem.  I was operating under the assumption that his buddy put that on there kinda as message to my grandfather about what variety of soldier it came from. 

[Todd Wilson]

Todd, What's that helmet you got there made out of?.. i thought they were metal?..   

The outside helmet is steel but the inside seems like its some kind of carbon fiber or something. Not really sure what it is.


Todd