price check on Luftwaffe Helmet

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Hammerhead
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price check on Luftwaffe Helmet

Post by Hammerhead » Sat Sep 02, 2017 12:25 pm

A person called and he said he had a helmet for sale that he found at an Estate Sale. He knew I collected Militaria and is offering it to me. I wanted to get some opinions on a fair price for it. I'll give a description and several pictures. All info will be appreciated.
First the "Good". It is a M35 Model that is a Double Decal. It has the original Liner and chinstrap. The decals are about 90-95%. The Original Blue paint is about 85-90% and has really darkened with age.
The "Bad". There is a rather large area of rust on the right side of the helmet that stretches down from the top onto the National Colors Shield. There is another patch of rust on the top of the Helmet.
Let me know what you guys think is a fair price for this helmet. Please see the pictures below.

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1943 White M-3 Halftrack, 1944 CCKW 353, 1945 MB, 1944 Bantam T3,
1945 Ben-Hur 1-ton trailer, MVPA 12610, NRA Life Member


AZ Jeff
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Re: price check on Luftwaffe Helmet

Post by AZ Jeff » Sat Sep 02, 2017 7:23 pm

As you can imagine, premium helmets still bring premium money. Everything else is soft in the market. Double decal M35 or not, the exterior rust is major detractor. 2nd pattern eagle is not as nice as the national colors. Liner is decent. Strap is decent (and original). $600-$700 my guess. I've seen very nice DD LW M35s for $1200. As a rule they don't bring the same as comparable DD WH M35s.

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gearhead
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Re: price check on Luftwaffe Helmet

Post by gearhead » Sun Sep 03, 2017 11:25 am

I had a line on one almost identical to this, appraised by a well know collector, $300.
If you can get $500-$600 great!

Ed S :)
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Mark Jesic
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Re: price check on Luftwaffe Helmet

Post by Mark Jesic » Sun Sep 03, 2017 12:07 pm

Hammerhead, i have seen them like this in England, near the £1000 level, thats about $1200. If he asks around $6 to $900 rip his arm off. Bear in mind this stuff is getting rare, and will only go up in value. Let us know the outcome please.

AZ Jeff
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Re: price check on Luftwaffe Helmet

Post by AZ Jeff » Sun Sep 03, 2017 4:21 pm

I hear'ya Ed. Some collectors won't touch a helmet with that rust. It's rarely a case of 70% paint = 70% of the mint value. I helped a collector liquidate some nice, all original German helmets earlier this year. His otherwise gorgeous LW M40 had an unfortunate chip right through the middle of the eagle's body... Took months to sell that helmet for $600 after several shows.

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Re: price check on Luftwaffe Helmet

Post by 113thCavman » Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:40 pm

Ran into a near excellent /mint one here for $800 and I didn't buy it as I have a nice early snake leg droop tail double decal.Another guy bought it but got the seller to throw in a luft belt and buckle.

THis said much of this WW2 stuff isn't that rare.There is a lot of it out there and with all the older collections coming out for sale and family members who may have granddads or fathers items I see a lot more hitting the market and prices are not what they use to be.I see major dealers(Shea,Whitman,Johnson,etc) havint hard time moving items and its interesting to see what they pay according to what they ask.

Also whos going to buy this in the future?I don't see a large collector base being brought into the WW2 THird Reich hobby.Plus recent events have promted our area Minneapolis Military show to ban all items that have the swastika on them.The dealers cant have them on the table according to a letter from the show promotor.There was an incident there a while back where some woman was offended as there was a large "NAZI" flag hanging up and two dealers from Germany were dressed in german garb and doing stupid Crimp One Off...the hitler salute.She complained and was going to go all media on the place and the show promotor caved.He tossed the two german clowns out but evidently she pursued it farther as the Minnesota State Fairboard issued a ban on the swastica at their facilities.

I'm just saying is there going to be new/younger collectors buying this stuff due to all the current political stigma associated with "hate symbols" ??
I don't think you are going to see a large collector base for the Nazi stuff in the next 15-25 years.I have seen a decline in the general collector overall at these shows.Most seem to either be pickers and just pricing items or they play pawn star and make stupid low offers.


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