Sick to have missed this one. It did not last long 4-23-15

ww1czechlegion

ww1czechlegion

Well-known member
Here's one that I stumbled onto that made me sick and weak feeling when I was looking at the "sold listings" results on eBay this Friday morning. :( :eek: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leibgarde-Infantry-RGT-115-Pickelhaube-Helmet-/131494729777?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e9db25831&nma=true&si=BwfJZWwFbxhUO%252FdU0GKa8tD5Nx8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hopefully someone on here stumbled onto it and snapped it up for a mere $1,000.00. Do any of you guys know who this seller is in Wisconsin?

I'll post the photos seller had on the auction, to preserve them on here after the eBay listing is no longer visible.

Unfortunately the seller doesn't show the entire liner (what he shows is very nice), and he doesn't show if there are any markings on the back visor.

Wow, what a bummer to miss this one... Helmet body looked great, and the silver fittings had not been cleaned...

Best Regards,

Alan















 
I missed it too Brian. :(

It was apparently listed on eBay USA, sometime yesterday (Thursday, the 23rd of April).

Here's a link to the sold listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leibgarde-Infantry-RGT-115-Pickelhaube-Helmet-/131494729777?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e9db25831&nma=true&si=much1Zgh2A8jvnzStaR1ASE9UBU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Apparently someone jumped on it right away and bought it sometime shortly after the listing became viewable. I'm guessing that it wasn't viewable for very long before someone saw it, and probably about had a heart attack and bought it right away. I was on and off eBay all day Thursday watching for new listings, and missed it. ](*,) I would about give my proverbial "right nut" to buy one of these for a mere 1K...

I did not stumble onto it until this morning (Friday, 24th April) when I was viewing the recent "sold listings" category of WW1 German Helmets & Hats.

Made me absolutely sick and weak when I found it.

Someone got one heck of a bargain!

Best Regards,

Alan
 
Missed it to, it sold 53 minutes after it was listed, same seller now ahs a Prussian officer listed for more then the Hessian???

James
 
I know what they say about crying over spilled milk...

But, Believe me, I'm almost literally "crying" over this one. :-({|=

And I was on and off eBay multiple times that day and missed it, figure that. Bummer... :(

And as James says, they guy has the stupid Prussian one with mounted troops chinscales for more money than the 115th Hessen. Go figure! ](*,)

Best Regards,

Alan
 
Spiker said:
Not an ordinary 115 with the brass and silver mix .
Is the spike removable?

Click to expand...

This is not brass but oxidized silver.
I understand your disappointment Alan... You'll be lucky another time. I bet it is only marked BAXVIII, like all these Mainz labeled later models.
Bruno
 
Yes, oxidized silver looks like its covered in tobacco juice. My JR 115 was exactly the same colour when I bought it years ago. I actually thought the previous owner must have been a heavy smoker but all fittings cleaned up nicely with a bit of work. I guess this was a buy it now?? The seller ID'd it perfectly.....but listing it at a lower price than the run of the mill officer helme makes NO SENSE!!
 
By member Spiker (Ed)
Is the spike removable?
Click to expand...
Yes, it is removable. Reference the 3rd from last photo I posted from the seller's listing. You can see the bolt and nut for the spike looking into the spike base from the photo showing the inside of the helmet.

By member 911car (Bruno)
This is not brass but oxidized silver.
I understand your disappointment Alan... You'll be lucky another time. I bet it is only marked BAXVIII, like all these Mainz labeled later models.
Click to expand...
Yes, thank you Bruno. I bet that you are right about the marking. Wow, it sure looks like it is a beautiful condition helmet. A correct chinstrap w/silver mounts and a Hessen kokarde, and that baby would really look sharp!

By member b.loree (Brian)
Yes, oxidized silver looks like its covered in tobacco juice.
Click to expand...
Yes, exactly. I could see it on my monitor, and it made me heartsick Friday morning. The seller mistakenly says "uncleaned brass" in his description. I could see otherwise.

By member b.loree (Brian)
I guess this was a buy it now?? The seller ID'd it perfectly.....but listing it at a lower price than the run of the mill officer helme makes NO SENSE!!
Click to expand...
Yes, unfortunately for everyone except the one lucky person who did the "buy-it-now".
Yes, it makes NO SENSE, I agree Brian...

The only scenario that I can comprehend is that maybe, maybe the seller needed money really badly, combined with the fact that he obviously did not know the real value of the helmet, thus his use of the "buy-it-now" bargain for one lucky individual.

I say that because I politely wrote the seller after stumbling onto the Sold Helmet early Friday morning, and did not get a response from him. I also wrote again last evening with an offer of a minimum of $2,000 cash delivered in person by me if he had not shipped the helmet yet. Again, no reply from the seller. (I was hoping that he would cancel the sale as a seller, which he could do even after being paid by the buyer. Not a nice thing to do to the buyer, but totally possible to do as a seller on eBay, as eBay provides a seller several options to cancel a sale for various reasons after an auction ends.)

All I can say is that at the very least the seller understands that he made a very expensive mistake (at least $1,000 to more likely $1,500) at this point of time with the helmet shipped down the road to the lucky buyer.

As James wisely pointed out to me that we: "cannot get them all I guess"

Best Regards,

Alan
 
This is indeed a rare occurrence, Alan. As we all know, lay sellers usually overestimate values and overprice items.
The same happened to me once, a while ago. On a Saturday morning a helmet appeared on ebay Germany with a buy-it-now price at 500 euro. It was an untouched, complete, enlisted GR109 in pristine condition... I suspected something fishy but decided to take the chance and immediately hit the screen... and this was clearly my best move of the year!
I wish the same will happen to you another time soon.
Cheers, Bruno
 
Living in Wisconsin, I don't know who the seller would be and never saw this helmet. However, Wisconsin's economy has plummeted in the last few years.

Are those Lee Enfield bayonets really worth $140 now? I bought mine for $2 when I was a kid...

:D Ron
 
Thanks Bruno, that's very kind of you, I appreciate it!

Good for you, finding an untouched 109th Reg't Haube, and for a good price, that's fantastic! :bravo: I look forward to seeing it.

You are right: It can and does happen with novice and lay sellers on eBay.

I've certainly had my share of good fortune lately with the two kurassier helmets. And I've had more than my share of good fortune talking sellers into either putting a buy-it-now price on an item that I've made an offer on, or them simply accepting an offer I make on something after it freshly appears on eBay. I shouldn't be whining about missing out on this one. :-k I need to stop and remember my blessings! :)

The seller did write me back this mid-morning:

eBay seller jmbuyselltrade writing to me:
Dear ww1czechlegion,

That helmet is sold, however i do have another helmet on here for sale. please let me know if you are interested in it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW-1-German-Prussian-Pickelhaube-Helmet-/131494706423?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


- jmbuyselltrade
Click to expand...
 
Oh Wow, that is a Fantastic Helmet Bruno, Congratulations! :bravo:

The condition is spectacular! A collector dreams about finding one this nice in their lifetime! \:D/

Good for you! =D>

All the Best,

Alan
 
911car said:
I bet it is only marked BAXVIII, like all these Mainz labeled later models.
Click to expand...

Hi Gents,

I guess the marking would rather be the war time RBA18 (Reserve Bekleidungsamt), as the XVIII AK never had a Bekleidungsamt in peace time :D

Philippe
 
I spoke via phone with the eBay seller last Sunday afternoon, the 3rd of May.

Apparently this helmet sat around for about 3-years gathering dust in a shop in Wisconsin, with nobody expressing any interest in buying it. Same goes for the Prussian helmet they had listed at the same time on eBay.

The person I spoke with works in the shop, and told me the shop owner apparently had approximately $100 apiece invested in each of the two helmets they were trying to sell on eBay. Both helmets sat around in the shop for 3-years without selling, so they decided to try selling them on eBay.

According to the person I spoke with, the helmet went to a buyer in the USA. I didn't try to bother asking him who bought it.

Regardless, I had a very nice conversation with this shop worker, and maybe they might turn up something nice again in the future, who knows?

The older I get and the longer I am a member of various forums, the more I become aware that there is a huge percentage of the collector population out there in the USA and the world who do not participate in forums and probably do not go to collector shows. I refer to them as "closet collectors" because their identity is hidden from other well known collectors, and their collection and interest is basically hidden from the public eye and other collectors. I met a ton of them when I used to set up a display to fish for leads and buy military items at gun shows here in Iowa for 7-years. Military collectors are all over, probably at least one in every town out there it seems...

Best Regards,

Alan
 
I agree. Based on the large number of emails l get from people who do not show up on the forum. Tony must get more.
 
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