Third Party Press

Wire Hemets

Caesar1

Senior Member
Does anyone actually feel comfortable being able to tell an original helmet with wire from one that was put toghether? Do you just generally not pay a premium for them unless they come from a known vet/source?
 
That is a real difficult call...I would guess chicken wire helmets have been faked as much if not more than camo's...

I think its not hard to tell if it is proper European type chicken wire, but as to whether you can tell by looking at it if it was originally put on circa 1939-1945, or some guy just went out and scoured the European country side for some really old chicken wire and put it on last year to boost the price is much more difficult I would guess.

Of course you can look for wear pattern on the paint, chicken wire that had been on for 60 years would put some wear on the paint....

Hambone is good on helmets, hopefully he will chime in....
 
wire lids.

There was a disscussion on this topic on the g.h.w. site. My answer will be the same here. Why is a 700.00 $ helmet worth 2700.00$ just because it has 50cents worth of chicken wire on it ?? Beats me. Its the same with orig. cammos. It's a mine field. I personally wont pay dealer prices on helmets and I really wont pay insane money for a wire or cammo. I paid no more for a legit normandy cammo "thats real" Than I would for a m35 or m40 in really super shape. The same be said for a wire lid. There are ways to study the chicken wire and count the twists and the size of the holes ect. But I have seen lids in books with small hole wire. So I really dont know and dont pretend to know. Just know I wont spend thousands on pennys worth of wire..My-2-cents
 
Caeser, I can state with complete certainty as follows: There is absolutely no way to distinguish an original wire helmet from a properly done fake, unless the helmet speaks for itself and the circumstances of your purchase of it attest to its originality. I have two of them. The one I know is original is a helmet I could have bought for $50. It came from a man who found it in his mother's attic when they were moving her out of her house into a retirement home. It was given to her in 1946 when she was maybe 19 by the neighbor who had come back from the war; he fought at St. Lo and told her that's where he got it. They knew nothing about it and when I offered him $300 he laughed and said they were going to throw it away. This was in 1993. However, coming from me that's just a story and most of these have some story.

There are assorted buffoons on various forums who will proclaim that they can tell an original from a fake. Such WAFtards are merely stoking the imaginations of people with more money than sense who need a blessing before they buy something. A good rule on buying "wire helmets" is to pay no more than the underlying helmet plus a small kicker if you feel the helmet is right. Plenty of eurowire is out there and it can be aged with a wire wheel, chemicals, etc., to look as old as someone wants it to. In fact, I've seen people turn their noses up a wire lids I thought original because they didn't look like those that the "experts" deemed original. These people invariably compare fakes to fakes.

Moral to the story: If it strikes your fancy, you feel good about it, buy it, but don't pay much more than the underlying helmet because the market doesn't put a premium on them for the reasons stated.

Regards,
HB
 
amen

Caeser, I can state with complete certainty as follows: There is absolutely no way to distinguish an original wire helmet from a properly done fake, unless the helmet speaks for itself and the circumstances of your purchase of it attest to its originality. I have two of them. The one I know is original is a helmet I could have bought for $50. It came from a man who found it in his mother's attic when they were moving her out of her house into a retirement home. It was given to her in 1946 when she was maybe 19 by the neighbor who had come back from the war; he fought at St. Lo and told her that's where he got it. They knew nothing about it and when I offered him $300 he laughed and said they were going to throw it away. This was in 1993. However, coming from me that's just a story and most of these have some story.

There are assorted buffoons on various forums who will proclaim that they can tell an original from a fake. Such WAFtards are merely stoking the imaginations of people with more money than sense who need a blessing before they buy something. A good rule on buying "wire helmets" is to pay no more than the underlying helmet plus a small kicker if you feel the helmet is right. Plenty of eurowire is out there and it can be aged with a wire wheel, chemicals, etc., to look as old as someone wants it to. In fact, I've seen people turn their noses up a wire lids I thought original because they didn't look like those that the "experts" deemed original. These people invariably compare fakes to fakes.

Moral to the story: If it strikes your fancy, you feel good about it, buy it, but don't pay much more than the underlying helmet because the market doesn't put a premium on them for the reasons stated.

Regards,
HB[/QUOTE I have been collecting for 50 yrs and have only seen one (1) from a veteran...BILL
 
"I have been collecting for 50 yrs and have only seen one (1) from a veteran...BILL "


Nuff said, coming from Bill.

Iron chicken wire is out there. The above posts say it all.

Jeff
 
HB[/QUOTE I have been collecting for 50 yrs and have only seen one (1) from a veteran...BILL

Bill, in half that time I've never seen one from a vet either....only as above, from the son of a lady to whom it was given by the vet. I believe the story but it's a story, and coming from me it's even a third hand story. I've got two camos that were absolutely vet bringbacks, from the vets (one with a mailing label on it) that had wire on them (camo sprayed on while the wire was on it) but wire long gone.

Bill, I also remember when original camos were hard to find, rarely seen for sale. Now they are everywhere.
 
Hambone hit the nail on the head with his repley.

Original chickenwire helmets are pretty rare but it doesn't make any sense to pay a hugh premium for it, they are so easy to fake.
Also I want to add that European WW2 period chickenwire was zinc coated and that it if you see one with redish rust it usually is sign of artifically ageing.


P
 
Speaking of chicken wire

Ok before you say anything I am pretty aware that the swastika that has been "applied" to the side of the lid is probably NOT accurate by any means. The helmet isn't a fake but I don't think the wire and decal add up. I don't know what dumbass decided to put the decal on it but it wasn't me. I still feel I got a decent helmet for what I paid. With all that said if you have any other info about it that I don't know PLEASE lemme know! And enjoy!
 

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Max, one thing I can tell you that is fairly well accepted: Reverse twist on chickenwire (that is the wire wrap going in two different directions) is an American manufacturing technique for chickenwire and a key indicator that a wire wrap helmet is not right. That looks like "reverse twist".
 
The wire is indeed not European type. The haphazard attachment method of the wire to the helmet shell does not reflect well either.
 
Thanks :)

:thumbsup:Yeah like I said I'm not sure about the wire but i know the helmet is original except that retarded decal someone applied. I'm terrified to remove it and ruin the helmet. Either way the wire is a nice addition. Thanks for the info! I'll take some more photos of other stuff I have.
 
wire lids...

Not to drag this out anyfurther...I did stumble upon some great photos of actual wire lids..
two are full wire and one is a basket type.. the last photo was an image I'd saved of a supposed legit wire helmet..
 

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