Questionable SS Helmets
- Thread starter M45
- Start date
Many years ago, the 80s, there was a guy at the shows who had sheets of original SS decals that he would cut off and sell from. He kept these sheets in a briefcase. He sold them all. I see “original SS helmets” constantly. I’ve seen so few on the backing paper since then as to be able to count them on one hand. Where are the rest of them?
M45’s helmet lot studies basically ended the scam, if you were smart enough to study those studies. We didn’t know much about lots then. It was instrumental in blowing the lid (pun intended) off the Kelly Hicks’ “Champagne Rune”.
M45’s helmet lot studies basically ended the scam, if you were smart enough to study those studies. We didn’t know much about lots then. It was instrumental in blowing the lid (pun intended) off the Kelly Hicks’ “Champagne Rune”.
M45
Well-known member
What we had to go on in the past was our own gut feelings or those of our friends and the few reference books available, since factory documentation was non-existent. The lot# lists were derived from known originals with some 22,000 entries that reinforce factory decal application patterns. The lists also reference well known/respected photo reference sources that are widely available. With the photo reference books + the lot# lists, collectors now have an accurate means of sorting out real from fake, about the next best thing to period factory documentation.
That guy at the shows that had sheets of decals sold many of these to certain 'restorers', some of their work is probably in this thread.
It seems possible that the Sham Pain Ruins scandal was driven by the demand for more loose SS decals after those well known sources dried up.
That guy at the shows that had sheets of decals sold many of these to certain 'restorers', some of their work is probably in this thread.
It seems possible that the Sham Pain Ruins scandal was driven by the demand for more loose SS decals after those well known sources dried up.