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The start of the battle also marks the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the German steel helmet onto the battlefield - the prototype "square dip" M16.

No worries, no offence was taken and there's absolutely nothing to apologize for. Hans

I stand by my opinion that this is a made-to-deceive fake and would add that, as such, it is an example of the lower end of the spectrum in terms of the quality that is achieved by fakers. I shudder to think of what some of the stuff in their collections looks like if they both liked this helmet...

Show us.

The simple answer is yes, round ended liner pins were not used in WW1 German helmets. (I can't say if this is true for WW1 Austro-Hungarian models). These are the round-ended repros I'm referring to: Original pins have clipped ends and corners, whether they're cut straight across or not...

I think the camo looks fine - it's quite a nice pattern. The liner pads look a bit fragile but otherwise look good too. Has the interior been oiled or shellacked? It could just be the lighting.

The pictures aren't very helpful because they don't show detailed shots of the liner pins, leather pads and other details. To me the camo paint looks artificially aged and scratched up. The two front liner pins are replacements, possibly reproductions. The shell's interior and exterior has rust...

First thing to point out is that the liner pads are modern fakes. The proportions are off and the leather has been artificially aged with dye and who knows what else in order to make them look old. The leather that was used back then was either vegetable tanned cow/calf skin or the later...

Has anyone saved any pictures of the helmet in question? I recall it being one of those poorly faked "Latvian special" fantasy helmets that are posted weekly, and going by the description provided by JDT, it seems that's exactly what it is.

It's not even a German model. It's an Austro-Hungarian helmet that has been ruined this time. The leather pads look Swiss.

Why are some of the detractors of this chain mail contraption calling it a fake? Fake suggests that it's a copy based on an existing original item. This thing is a poorly thought out fantasy piece.

It's these "hallmarks" that I find especially ridiculous. The "E.T." is noteworthy as it suggests the maker is none other than the ironworks Eisenhüttenwerke Thale, the premier helmet manufacturer. They have even tried to match the font, so I have little doubt that this letter combination was...

Both sellers normally post first class stuff, so I was surprised to see this thing being offered by such established collectors. They should know better.

The helmet is up for auction by another seller. The camo looks fake to me. I see no real age or wear, just some contrived scratches and dirt. Note the condition of the liner band and pads (now complete with drawstring) compared to the rusty interior. I wouldn't want to own this one...

Looks like the remnants of a #9 (9th Comany). I think this helmet holds promise, but I can't say much more based on the pictures.

You will need to provide us with much clearer pictures than these. :-k

I bought a bunch of these at the local surplus stores over the years. The first ones that turned up were unissued M56/70s, much like the one you show, Ron. For a brief period in the 90s they brought in a small shipment of the early M56 helmets with the 31 type liner, of which I only bought one...

Pads with maker stamps rarely turn up, but the one in this thread is a good example of the few that do. I've owned two helmets with maker stamped liner pads - one E.T. 60 with Carl Menzel named pads and an E.T. 64 with Otto Koch pads.

I can't find any information as to exactly when full scale production of M18s began. They were first issued in August 1918, quite late considering that plans to alter the chinstrap were already under way since October 1917.

Finally, a rare period picture from Ludwig Baer's "Vom Stahlhelm zum Kampfhelm" showing these issued covers in use. Only a very small percentage of Austro-Hungarian troops were apparently issued steel helmet covers during WW1, and the vast majority of covers that are occasionally found in...