The following excerpts are taken from a collector publication (I presume) titled The Dufflebag and an article, by Richard K Riehn/Pickelhauben,Collectors and Care of the Elderly. I originally thought I could scan this 1,1/2 pg article and post it but the print comes out too small to read. Here are some of Mr Riehn's thoughts from 1978:
"If one were to plot a graph reflecting the price changes in the collector's market of a given standard helmet over the past fifty years, one would observe a fluctuating wave which begins a steady ascent only during the late 1960's. This curve, again, could be flattened considerably if one took account of the inflation rate and the corresponding buying power of specie.
On this basis, many would be surprised to notice that in Germany at least, certain rarities brought nearly as much during the Thirties as they do today. Prices always climb when there is a lot of new money and very little confidence in it.
When it comes to the international market, however, the rise of prices paid for Pickelhauben has been nothing short of spectacular. Just look at an old Bannerman catalog,with its World War 1 surplus. Eight dollars for (!) for a Gardes du Corps enlisted model complete with parade eagle. It's enough to start a current collector talking to himself. But things could get worse before they get better.
The American collectors market, singlehandedly, has seen to it that there are no more bargains to be had even in Germany. We probably have three times as many collectors per square inch for German militaria as the the Germans themselves. Yet, in a way, we American collectors are responsible for the fact that so much has become unearthed over the past twenty years and funneled into the trade. The prices being paid were just too good to resist even by the last holdouts.
This didn't happen all at once, There are some distinct milestones to be observed here in the United States."
The author goes on to identify 4 waves of German helmets coming to the US......."The first wave came during the final decades of the 19th century hidden away in the baggage of German immigrants, former officers and noncoms, who were loath to part with these mementos of their younger years.
The second wave, mostly of inferior quality came in the wake of the First World War. With the so-called fieldgrey fittings and leather chin straps, these general-issue pieces came in by the wagon load, mostly liberated from depots where they had collected when the steel helmet was introduced in 1915. Almost every one of these had an Aunt Mary story attached, of how grandpa had taken it off'n a dead Hun on the battlefield. The truth was that by 1918 when the Americans appeared in France, you couldn't find more than half a dozen of these per mile of front line and then only if some rear area soldat had wandered too far up to the front.
In recent years, previously untouched caches of these wartime models found their way into the United States. Most of these come with replacement chin straps and cockades.
After WWII, yet another wave of helmets came to our shores, on the whole of far better quality than what came before. Some had been commandeered by GI's from their civilian billets, others had been converted into dire necessities of life (such as cigarettes) by their former owners.
Lastly, during the Fifties, came the best of all, those fine pieces which were introduced almost entirely through the international trade. By that time, the market was ready for them and good money started to roll. Some major changes had taken place in Germany. The original owners, who had resisted giving them up, were passing on in greater numbers and their heirs found the money offered for them too attractive to pass up. Even general's helmets began to show up in some quantity.
The final price break, which just about knocked the beginner out of the ball game, occurred at the bottom of the price line and included all of the relatively ordinary but still good quality material. In one year, during the late Sixties, one could pick up a respectable Prussian or Bavarian line infantry enlisted man's helmet from anywhere from ten to twenty dollars, depending upon condition, with Wurttembergers and Badeners just a few dollars more. And then- nothing was available for less than at least twice that. And I'm speaking of German prices (double or better for US).
I couldn't find a reasonable answer for what had happened until I attended the official opening ceremonies of the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt. Parading down the street came one militia unit after another, in uniforms ranging from 18th century styles to pre World War 1. Among the latter were the missing pickelhauben, by the platoon!"
To be continued....... B
"If one were to plot a graph reflecting the price changes in the collector's market of a given standard helmet over the past fifty years, one would observe a fluctuating wave which begins a steady ascent only during the late 1960's. This curve, again, could be flattened considerably if one took account of the inflation rate and the corresponding buying power of specie.
On this basis, many would be surprised to notice that in Germany at least, certain rarities brought nearly as much during the Thirties as they do today. Prices always climb when there is a lot of new money and very little confidence in it.
When it comes to the international market, however, the rise of prices paid for Pickelhauben has been nothing short of spectacular. Just look at an old Bannerman catalog,with its World War 1 surplus. Eight dollars for (!) for a Gardes du Corps enlisted model complete with parade eagle. It's enough to start a current collector talking to himself. But things could get worse before they get better.
The American collectors market, singlehandedly, has seen to it that there are no more bargains to be had even in Germany. We probably have three times as many collectors per square inch for German militaria as the the Germans themselves. Yet, in a way, we American collectors are responsible for the fact that so much has become unearthed over the past twenty years and funneled into the trade. The prices being paid were just too good to resist even by the last holdouts.
This didn't happen all at once, There are some distinct milestones to be observed here in the United States."
The author goes on to identify 4 waves of German helmets coming to the US......."The first wave came during the final decades of the 19th century hidden away in the baggage of German immigrants, former officers and noncoms, who were loath to part with these mementos of their younger years.
The second wave, mostly of inferior quality came in the wake of the First World War. With the so-called fieldgrey fittings and leather chin straps, these general-issue pieces came in by the wagon load, mostly liberated from depots where they had collected when the steel helmet was introduced in 1915. Almost every one of these had an Aunt Mary story attached, of how grandpa had taken it off'n a dead Hun on the battlefield. The truth was that by 1918 when the Americans appeared in France, you couldn't find more than half a dozen of these per mile of front line and then only if some rear area soldat had wandered too far up to the front.
In recent years, previously untouched caches of these wartime models found their way into the United States. Most of these come with replacement chin straps and cockades.
After WWII, yet another wave of helmets came to our shores, on the whole of far better quality than what came before. Some had been commandeered by GI's from their civilian billets, others had been converted into dire necessities of life (such as cigarettes) by their former owners.
Lastly, during the Fifties, came the best of all, those fine pieces which were introduced almost entirely through the international trade. By that time, the market was ready for them and good money started to roll. Some major changes had taken place in Germany. The original owners, who had resisted giving them up, were passing on in greater numbers and their heirs found the money offered for them too attractive to pass up. Even general's helmets began to show up in some quantity.
The final price break, which just about knocked the beginner out of the ball game, occurred at the bottom of the price line and included all of the relatively ordinary but still good quality material. In one year, during the late Sixties, one could pick up a respectable Prussian or Bavarian line infantry enlisted man's helmet from anywhere from ten to twenty dollars, depending upon condition, with Wurttembergers and Badeners just a few dollars more. And then- nothing was available for less than at least twice that. And I'm speaking of German prices (double or better for US).
I couldn't find a reasonable answer for what had happened until I attended the official opening ceremonies of the Bavarian Army Museum in Ingolstadt. Parading down the street came one militia unit after another, in uniforms ranging from 18th century styles to pre World War 1. Among the latter were the missing pickelhauben, by the platoon!"
To be continued....... B