CONDITION, CONDITION, CONDITION!!!!
Dear German and US Militaria Collectors...Lend me your ears and your eyes!
You've heard the expression pertaining to real estate...location, location, location! You may have heard the expression regarding displaying your militaria collection...presentation, presentation, presentation!
Well, here is another term you should consider...condition, condition, condition! For this brief overview, let's talk about German/Nazi helmets from the Third Reich (1933-1945) and specifically World War II.
This time, I wanted to share with you two German M-42 (Model 1942) Army Combat helmets. Here are two examples:
This is in sound condition even after more than 75 years. The reasons are that this WWII artifact was stored carefully and was not exposed to harsh conditions. It also ended up in the hands of a collector who made sure it was not subjected to those extremes of heat/cold and moisture/dryness that I have referred to in previous blogs..
This is a sorry and sad example of an M-42 German Army combat helmet from the exact same vintage as the first example. Unfortunately, this original WWII German steel helmet was not cared for. In fact, the person I bought it from said he was rebuilding a porch on an old home and found it under the porch. Perhaps some young boy back in the 1950's was playing war with some buddies and left this helmet there. As a result, it was exposed to all the enemies I spoke about earlier. It's a real shame because when this helmet was sent or brought home by a veteran, it was in beautiful condition. Now it's just a relic and has limited collector value. For some strange reason, the interior remained in fine condition in spite of the adverse exposure.
You be the judge but the bottom line is, once you own an antique collectible, you are the curator and it is your responsibility to take care of your items. It protects your investment and preserves history!
As always, I welcome your comments, questions and feedback.
Bill Shea and The Ruptured Duck Team