Vintage military helmet

[Buddah]

Can anyone tell me anything about these helmets

 

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[vpnavy]

1st - I noticed this was your very first post - so, Welcome Aboard! You didn't list your state (or country) in your profile. So, you might consider jumping over to Sub-Forums: Select Your Area.... and selecting location information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state (or country).

2nd - Sure looks like the standard Brodie Helmet From Wikipedia. Heck, they could even be the M1917 Civil Defense Helmets. Check on the inside of the helmets for any other marks.

 

[RTR]

Looks to me to be of WW1 vintage and British design

 

[tamrock]

My 1st thought on the white one was civil defense as VPN has started.

 

[Buddah]

Za257 is a marking on one

 

[RTR]

The outside sure looks like this.Do you have any pix.of the inside ? https://www.ebay.com/i/191972815416?chn=ps

 

[RTR]

More info here > Helmet M-1917

 

[Bodkin]

The first one looks German due to the higher "crown". The second, tan, helmet looks British. A little more squat. JMHO. The photos could be making it look this way too.

 

[Buddah]

Does anyone know how much they are worth

 

[RTR]

Does anyone know how much they are worth

Post #6 has prices

 

[NOLA_Ken]

The green one is a WW2 era British or Commonwealth Mk2 helmet. The second looks like a standard English Mk1 Brodie or possibly an American M-1917,,, I can't find that stamp on the list of known British makers, but they were made all over the British Empire from Canada to South Africa, India, Australia....And I don't have a list of American makers handy because my books are still in storage at the moment. Check the rims for any other markings if you would, and also if you could, post pics of the helmets in profile and the chinstrap bails.

In that condition which I would call just above "relic" with no liners or chinstraps, no names or unit markings, the value isn't going to be very high. You can get complete intact ones for around 100$ So... The question is, how much do sellers ask for them and what are collectors willing to pay? You may find similar condition helmet shells with asking prices from around 80$ up, but realistically if I saw them I'd offer that 80$ for both, and put them aside to possibly restore one day.

They are a neat find though, and definitely worth saving

 

[Bodkin]

And there you have it. I'll go with what NOLA said. Sounds waaayyy better than my observations (which comes from playing with G.I. Joe as a kid).

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I've searched a bit more and it seems the "ZA" mark is an American makers mark. I can't find a good list of marks that id them to a maker, but it's possible the "A" is for American Can Company... I can't confirm that yet though

The Green helmet... looking again today I found a similar US version from the 1930's that was used before the introduction of the M1 Helmet in 1941. There should be a stamp on the rim that will identify its country of origin at the least, and possibly the manufacturer if I can locate a good list of makers.

None of that really changes the value but personally I like knowing exactly what I have and if you decide to sell them it's good to correctly identify them in a listing.

 

[A2coins]

That's a cool piece of history

 

[A2coins]

Welcome to tnet thanks for posting your find

 

[diggummup]

The green one is also a U.S. Civil Defense helmet (aka OCD helmet). But it is from WW2.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Here's a pic I have of an American soldier with a helmet like the green one from some time just before the start of WW2, you'll see a lot of these in photos from the Philippines and other battles like Midway... They were basically gone from combat use by late 1942 I think. and were reissued stateside to various groups like Civil Defense, and Civil Air Patrol

 

[Bodkin]

I will never add my two cents to these questions again! I'm sticking my head in the sand as I write this! Please forget this ever happened.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

I will never add my two cents to these questions again! I'm sticking my head in the sand as I write this! Please forget this ever happened.

By all means, throw your two cents in as much as you want, everything adds to the discussion

 

[diggummup]

Here's a pic I have of an American soldier with a helmet like the green one from some time just before the start of WW2, you'll see a lot of these in photos from the Philippines and other battles like Midway... They were basically gone from combat use by late 1942 I think. and were reissued stateside to various groups like Civil Defense, and Civil Air Patrol

View attachment 1537206

I agree that many WW1 helmets were reissued during WW2 to other various civilian groups. However, I believe that photo to be the M1917-A1 helmet, an early WW2 helmet.
I believe the green helmet depicted in this thread was made specifically for the Office of Civil Defense (color withstanding), referred to as an OCD helmet. Notice the deeper bowl and the rivets along the sides to hold the suspension system in place? This is not prevalent on the M1917 or M1917-A1. There should be a stamp on the underside of the rim that signifies it as US Govt Property and the initials OCD.

How about it Buddah? What's the underside look like?