PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: A light weight, stamped, "Adrian" helmet, consisting of a manganese steel shell, a mild steel top comb and folded mild steel rim. The helmet retains almost all of its period olive green paint with some minor surface spotting, mostly to the rim and moderate usage scratching. The top comb, attached by four split rivets, has ventilation slots to either side of the crown, over eight small circular perforations to the apex of the helmet itself. The space between the comb and the back visor is 9/16" (15mm) indicating manufacture in 1937 or later. A separate, standard French infantry emblem is attached by dual prongs to the front, being a 2" diameter magnetic steel plate, also painted olive drab, which has an embossed flaming bomb with a raised "RF" ("Republique Français") cypher. There are double rivets to each of the cardinal points immediately above where the visor begins to flare out. These rivets hold in place four tabs to the interior which bend back upon themselves and expand into open rectangles. The interior of the helmet retains its original age and usage darkened, six finger, blackened leather liner with its original tie string. The liner has thick felt padding along the exterior of its sweatband, has all of its fingers intact and is still quite supple showing only light to moderate soiling mostly around the headband area. Stamped to inside the headband is the size "61" and a circle with illegible text around the inside and "1/45 to the center. The liner attaches to the rectangular pieces by means of small metal prongs sewn to the headband of the liner with four of them oxidizing and four still shiny (possibly replacements). The tabs over each ear have square metal "rings" for the chin strap. The natural leather chin strap is folded back upon itself and fixed with an alloy rivet around one of the rings and is looped around the other ring and through a blackened metal adjusting buckle. The chin strap exhibits minor chafe wear and age soiling and has stiffened with age. Almost all of its original paint has been retained to the interior and exterior of the helmet with the exterior showing minor surface oxidization, a few minor dents, and moderate scratching while the comb retains about 90% of its paint with some paint chips and oxidization.

GRADE***1/2                             PRICE $176.00