Description:

One of the rarest articles of World War II headgear, a steel combat helmet manufactured in the style of a World War I-era M1918 “stahlhelm”, commonly known as the “SS-RZM” helmet for the large “SS” runes and “RZM” insignia stamped inside the skirt on either side. This helmet was primarily used after 1934 by the SS-VT prior to their reorganization as the Waffen-SS in 1940 and the wide distribution of M35-style helmets to those units. The helmet shows a matte grey-black finish inside and out, with no decals present on the exterior, and displays non-stepped vent studs placed closer to the liner rivets than those found on M1918 helmets. The sides show faint vertical striations, created when the helmet die was pushed into the base metal. The aforementioned “SS” and “RZM” stamps are crisp, but are lightly struck at the top and bottom of each mark. The interior is fitted with a brown leather liner with six “fingers” on three flaps, perforated by rivets holding an adjustment cord. Interestingly, one flap is stamped “SS/Pi.", indicating likely use by a “Pionier” (“Engineer”) battalion. The leather liner band is affixed to the shell with three circular hollow-core rivets, differentiating this design from the split pins used in later German combat helmets. It is further fitted with a black leather chin strap with a quick-release clip, although the corresponding leather tab with metal loop that this would have clipped to is absent. The strap also retains the faintest traces of white dye on the other side. The exterior of the shell shows a few small dings overall, with some oxidation to the rim and beneath the liner band, and the liner itself shows some wear, soiling and flaking, else a very good example of an extremely rare helmet.

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May 1, 2019 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000