camo Pickelhaube?

pointystuff

pointystuff

Active member
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ULTRA-Rare-WWI-German-steel-camo-painted-Pickelhaube-helmet-/250925573286?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6c5464a6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is such a thing documented in period photos?
 
I think this is a case of a doughboy wanting a camo helmet, and getting it painted by the local artisans. the paint looks old, I suspect it was a period paint job, but not German.
Best
Gsu
 
On really never knows with this one, but I like the look of it and it's a fun piece. I'd have to agree that the chances are this was done by a US vet. I wouldn't think a kid would do this, but then, who knows!

:D Ron
 
Regardless....it looks neat as hell. Was hoping it would go cheap, but apparently a lot of other people though it looked cool too

Keith
 
usa1918 said:
Regardless....it looks neat as hell. Was hoping it would go cheap, but apparently a lot of other people though it looked cool too

Keith
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Up over $450! :-? But then, it's a fun piece (I'll admit it, I bid something like $76, but that's it! :) )

:D Ron
 
I will personally pass on this one and wait for a Camo. Schirmmütze to show-up :wink:
 
Y'know, when I look at the camo on this, it looks a lot like a WWI 'doughboy' I bought at a junk store when I started collecting. Nicely camouflaged (post war, as all are) and liner.... $2. Those were the days.

:D Ron
 
With twice that amount back then, I guess you could've bought its camo German counterpart??
 
RON said:
With twice that amount back then, I guess you could've bought its camo German counterpart??
Click to expand...

No, those were around $50... with liners. Less without. At the time I bought the 'Doughboy', which also was stamped to the AEF, I bought a box full of French WWI, WWII helmets and an Italian WWII for $15... about six or seven helmets total, most with liners and original paint. M15's were about $50 or $10 to 20 for parts... 'Brass trims' were around $100 to $150 and an officer's helmet was usually around $300. A GdK was around $1,500 to $2,000 for E.M.'s and $3,000 for officer. Again, that was 35 years ago.
Another nice thing was that the vets themselves would give you helmets or other stuff if they knew you were interested, because nobody in their families cared.

:D Ron
 
I guess $3k for a 'rusty old (GDC) helmet' did represent a small fortune back in the mid-70s...
Would've loved to meet those vets you talk about!
The closest to 'free' I ever got myself were these 2 German WWII ordnance swords from the son of a Canadian WWII vet back in the mid-90s. We both thought these were British or Canadian (due to the absence of a Wehrmacht eagle with swastika) and he sold these to me for CA$50 each (worth about US$85 in total back then).
Soon after noticing the Eikhorn squirrel mark and reading more about them I realized it was a very good deal.
 
Price has gone off the charts....


http://www.ebay.com/itm/250925573286?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
RON said:
I guess $3k for a 'rusty old (GDC) helmet' did represent a small fortune back in the mid-70s...
Would've loved to meet those vets you talk about!
Click to expand...

Ah yes! Those 'rusty old' helmets were just beautiful, near mint most of them (for that price you'd be getting the top of the line in the 1970's)! My memories are of a $50 6th Kurassier and $20 pre-war infantry complete.
Anyway, most of the veterans I talked to from WWI didn't have fond memories. It was rather different than our pop culture would have us believe. The only one I ever talked to who seemed enthused was a former artilleryman who was on the French 75', but then, he was never actually in the close fighting, just supported the battle from a distance. I knew there was a reason I enjoyed being a 'cannon-cocker'!

Yeah, I think the bidding is going a bit overboard here, but that's just my humble opinion.

:D Ron
 
IMO this helmet was either of 3 possiblilities starting with the worst (and most probable):
1/ Camouflaged way after the war which would make it a fake, at least when it comes to its camo.
2/ Camouflged right after the war either in Germany or on the way home by the vet who captured it which would still make it a fake
3/ Camouflaged during the war which would've made it against regulations anyway since, and please correct me if I'm wrong, multi-colored headgear camouflage wasn't instaured before the Stahlhelm--I actually read somewhere that it came as a result of a directive issued by the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army Erich Ludendorff in July 1918--2 years after the pickelhauben were discontinued. Besides, pickelhaubes had their own mono-colored cloth camouflage covers before the Stahlhelm era.
Whatever this helmet was/is, it is IMO not worth more than $50 just for kicks.
 
RON said:
IMO this helmet was either of 3 possiblilities starting with the worst (and most probable):
1/ Camouflaged way after the war which would make it a fake, at least when it comes to its camo.
2/ Camouflged right after the war either in Germany or on the way home by the vet who captured it which would still make it a fake
3/ Camouflaged during the war which would've made it against regulations anyway since, and please correct me if I'm wrong, multi-colored headgear camouflage wasn't instaured before the Stahlhelm--I actually read somewhere that it came as a result of a directive issued by the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army Erich Ludendorff in July 1918--2 years after the pickelhauben were discontinued. Besides, pickelhaubes had their own mono-colored cloth camouflage covers before the Stahlhelm era.
Whatever this helmet was/is, it is IMO not worth more than $50 just for kicks.
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Hey Ron,

I would have to disagree with some of your points:

"2/ Camouflged right after the war either in Germany or on the way home by the vet who captured it which would still make it a fake" You still have an authentic helmet that would have been personalized by a returning vet. If your premise is true, Any of the captured helmets with any vet added writing, addresses, postage, etc would be a "fake" since it did not follow the German regulations of the time. Looking at the helmet, I would say this was a period done helmet.

3/ Camouflaged during the war which would've made it against regulations anyway since, and please correct me if I'm wrong, multi-colored headgear camouflage wasn't instaured before the Stahlhelm--I actually read somewhere that it came as a result of a directive issued by the Chief of the General Staff of the Field Army Erich Ludendorff in July 1918--2 years after the pickelhauben were discontinued. Besides, pickelhaubes had their own mono-colored cloth camouflage covers before the Stahlhelm era. I agree that this was done against the regulation, but you do make the point that the regs came out about 2 years after the helmet became obsolete. I would propose that this could almost be termed a case of trench art (most of which could have been termed against regulation, and therefore using your logic, fake)

And while I don't think it was worth anything near what it sold for (although any item is only worth what someone will pay for it), I would have given considerably more than $50 for it

Keith
 
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