Avitas

Some nice HJ items here Dan, I especially like the armband and the shoulder straps. It's always nice to see a collection like this together as a theme. About the box, it could be used as a supply box of some sort, for any type of cutlery etc that was for the many HJ camps out there at the time. That is my guess, and thanks for showing. Cheers, Pat

Hello Dan, I took this out and had a look, and the Stahlhelm is even more defined under a magnifying glass, with pretty distinct lines that look fairly well engraved, so good eye! I didn;t even notice it before, and the "A" on the other side could be an "H" as well, pretty hard to tell. There are defininitely some unexplained scratchings on the back as well, as a couple do look an awful lot like swastikas, and when put under a glaring light the "Y" symbol with the line through the middle is quite evident below the third slit in the center. Some great eagle-eye work there Dan, and maybe someone else can explain these markings. Cheers, Pat

Thanks for the suggestions guys! As a purist, my gut is still leaning towards just leaving it be, but if I notice the rust getting worse I will definitely have to get some baby oil on there or that Boeshield stuff. I think I will check out a bottle of Boeshield for my bayonets as well, looks like good stuff! I am just a little paranoid of stripping the rest of what little paint is left, but I guess I'll just store it in my antiques cabinet and check it for any worsening of the rust (The cabinet is fairly cool and dry though, especially since Kelowna is an oasis in desert territory). Any more comments on the helmet, what to do with rust, and if there is a way to tell if it was used post-ww1 please feel free to leave them. Cheers and many thanks gents, Pat

Lastly, here is a close-up of the artists mark of JS. Maybe someone recognizes this marking? This one has always been a bit of a mystery to me, but my guess is it was either an official or unofficial plaue from pre-ww2 Danzig. Any comments and information on this rarely seen item are great! Cheers, Pat

Next we have a pic of the reverse of this well made and well finished piece, with the maker mark "JS" on it. Pat

Here is a close-up of the texture of the wood and details of artisanship. Cheers, Pat

Hello all, I've had this piece for a while and finally remembered to take some digi-cam pics of it. It is a hand carved port of Danzig plaque with a maker mark of what I think is "JS" and is of very high quality artisanship. I was wondering if anyone recognizes it as an official wall plaque of the pre-war Danzig administration, or a commemmorative plaque created by a sentimental German artist after the war? I believe this coat-of-arms was for the period between ww1 and ww2 for the Free State of Danzig, in the German naming of the city (Polish called it Gdansk, it's modern name). I think it may be from the 20's or 30's before the Nazis took over administration and added the swastika. I put it in this forum because I think it is the most closely related as it is a German civil (or maybe political) piece that may have stuck around in a TR office during Nazi rule in Danzig. Then again, it could be a post-war sentimental piece as I mentioned earlier, but the wood seems fairly old. Please lend any help if someone knows more about this wooden plaque and if it was maybe an official wall plaque. Cheers and thanks again, Pat

..and finally the pic of the soldier in his uniform and civilian clothes. I am not sure if "F.Wilh.Schmidt" is the soldiers name or the name of the photographer. I have a hunch this was made by one of the soldiers family members (mother?wife?) as it is in a heart shape, but that could be just a coincidence. Any help and general comments on this item are very welcomed! Cheers, Pat

Here is a little closer up pic of some of the details. This piece also has the city of Metz on it as well as the initials "L B" on either side of the city name. Maybe a regiment title? Cheers, Pat

Hello there, I have had this unique Bavarian soldier's wall plaque for a while and still have some questions about it as this era is not my area of expertise. It has the date 1900 on the left side with a picture of "F.Wilh.Schmidt" in his uniform, and on the right I assume it is a picture of old Willy Schmidt in his civilian clothes with the date 1902. There are some nice little golden touches, and it is made of old cigar boxes as I was told by the gent who sold me this (the good dealer in Kelowna for those that are following my posts ). This piece is very fragile so I keep it in my cabinet, also to keep dust off it. I wonder if these are common or if anyone else has something similar to compare? This soldier was in the Bavarian army I assume from the blue and white guards shack accessories and his uniform. If anyone can lend some expertise in identifying this item further or has any background information about the Bavarian army late 19th century and how it relates to this soldier pictured and the plaque, please feel free to lend a hand. I like this piece and I didn't pay an exorbatant amount for it, so it is a nice little niche item in my collection. Cheers and thanks for any help, Pat

That's interesting Bob about the Sageo, I had my doubts as to it being a set but now it seems like it is deinitely not a set. I got them at a flea market from a very unknowledgable dealer, but the armband looked ok and both didn't glow under blacklight so I bought them. I am happy that it is indeed a good one and if anyone else has this uncommon NSKK Transportkontrolle armband please post your examples. Thanks Bob! Cheers, Pat

Thanks Ulsterman and Sachsau for the info and clearing that up for us on that Koenig Ludwig 2 medal. Well, I guess a keychain is a good use for it afterall, eh Vince? By the way, what is the JOMSA? And thanks to Chris B for the translation as well. Feel free to post on any of these items as well and hope to hear from you soon, Cheers Pat

You can see the E.T.66 marking and the chinstrap connector posts in the previous post as well. The last pic I have for your reference is a little closer up on the condition of the helmet. Please feel free to leave your comments and help, I am very excited to finally stumble upon a Stahlhelm! Cheers, Pat

Next is a shot of the inside of the helmet, a wee bit rusty Cheers, Pat

Here is a shot of the back of the Stahlhelm with a bit more feldgrau paint visible, again, to restore or not to restore? Thanks, Pat

...and the right side of this Imperial German Steel helmet, with good example of the condition of the rust. It looks like this one may be a battlefield relic Cheers, Pat

Here is the left side of the M16 Stahlhelm, looks like there might have been a decal at one point, but it is really hard to tell...

Hello gents, Just back from Vancouver island from the third wedding of the summer and found this little relic in an antique store. It is a my first Stahlhelm that I think is a M16 as it has the early chinstrap connection posts as well as other matching characteristics, and there is no liner left. Like 95% of these models, the chinstrap is missing from the helmet as well. The maker mark is E.T.66 which stands for the Eisenhuttenwerk Thale company in Thale/Harz and is a size 66 (the lugs match this size as well). This company is a match on the makers lists and for size and model. As you can see it is a bit rusty (I cleaned a bit off with a dry rag) but I think it is better to leave it like this rather than get it repainted. You can still see a bit of the original Feldgrau paint on it and I would like to preserve that. Does anyone else have any opinions on what to do with a helmet with this amount of rust? It is not rusted through or thin anywhere (besides a dent on one side) and I am not sure if it was a ground found one or probably an outbuilding find, any help on that is welcomed as well. My second question on this helmet is if it is possible to tell if it was used by the Freikorps or in ww2 by the German forces. I know that they were all painted the same and usually the only difference was the addition of decals or paint to signify the Freikorps unit or Nazi army unit. I am just wondering if there is any other signs of it being used in ww2 as well as ww1, and on the Freikorps aspect as well. Thanks for looking and of course any comments on originality are great also, but I am 99% sure it's a good'un! Hopefully someone can help out on the questions and I will talk to you soon, Cheers and many thanks, Pat

Hello, Here is a nice shot of Molders, Udet and Galland hamming it up for the camera, all with RK's in view. Cheers, Pat

Hello there, Here is my best postcard made by Kodak shortly after the war I believe (or maybe during the war, but I don't think so) of three Knight's Cross winners of the Luftwaffe, Generaloberst Udet, Oberst Galland, and Oberst Molders. You can see all three RK's in wear and a nice view of Molders' Spanienkreuz mit Schwerten, Pilots badge, EK1 and one I can't ID below the Pilots badge. Just thought I would post it as it is a nice shot of awards being worn by fairly famous Luftwaffe personnel. I will show the back of the postcard for ID purposes as well. Cheers, Pat

Lastly for today, the back of the Hitler May 1936 speech pic. Thanks for looking, Pat

Here is the last of the 5 x 7 size pictures I have, and last one for today. This one is a pic of Hitler talking about the struggle for German freedom in May 1936. I will post the 3 x 5 size photobook pics when I get back from my trip, and I hope you enjoy them and leave some comments further explaining this unique set of items. Cheers, Pat

Here is the write up of the meeting for reference, Pat

Next up in the 5 x 7's is this picture of a meeting in the Reichschancellery with top brass. You can see Bormann, Hess and others that maybe someone else can id. Again, any ideas on these picture-book items are very welcome. Thanks, Pat

Here is the reverse of the 5 x7 of Hitler guaranteeing the revolution will succeed at the Nuremburg rally of 1933. Cheers, Pat