Estate sale find, wondering authenticity and possible value

Ok, so I went to an estate sale and found a box of military and boy scout items and paid $50 for the box. I am fairly new to collecting military items and a veteran and come from a long line of military decendants. I know some and have done quite a bit of research. I want to know if my research is correct and to find out an approximate age from production date to last used in military, and approximate value if I did decide to sell any of the items. I have taken quite a few photos to help in ascertaining a value. I did some of my research through these forums and feel this would be one of the best places to ask. the link to the photos is here. I will be adding more as I upload them of other items, including an M1 Helmet, M1 helmet liner, WW1? gas mask, douughboy helmet, Metal Canteen, and a few others. Please help me and let me know if my research is correct and any hints as to what to look for to further my beginning knowledge, and likely time frames

---------- Post added at 02:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:14 PM ----------

Here is the link to the photos I have so far: Image hosting, free photo sharing video sharing at Photobucket

All I could find so far is what looks to me like an M-1 helmet with Captain's bars. These are correct for War Two, Korea, 'Nam and I wouldn't be shocked to find some still in US service. They are sure in use in about half of the rest of the world, that's for sure. Exactly WHEN these went into production and were issued, I don't know, but I would expect early 1942. I do know that US troops in the Philippine Campaign still were using the M-1917 'tin hat' helmet of general British type.

C'mon! More pix! This is getting interesting now!

I used to collect US M-1 helmets and have done quite a bit of research. The front seam M-1 helmet is WWII issue 1942-1945 and the liner is WWII. The Helmet shell has almost certainly been repainted in more modern times and the captain's bars added later too.

The vintage liner is probably worth more than the helmet shell. WWII liners are fragile and they have really dried up in the last few years.

Check eBay sales for current prices, but keep in mind there are more fake M-1 helmets now than authentic helmets. The easiest way to tell a WWII M-1 helmet is the front seam rim. They did have a few rear seam helmets produced in 1945, but most were front seam. WWII helmet straps were sewn on and they they went to metal clips when helmet production resumed after the start of the Korean War, but there are many helmets with repro straps now.

Yo are correct about the firstone liner. Very good!

Try this for more information....militaryheadgear.com/types/69

Yours has a stainless steel rim which became a problem as it reflected light and made the person easier ti be seen by the enemy.

I have posted pictures of the gas mask, second liner, shortly I'll post more of other items links is : Gas Mask WWI or WWII pictures by jglh555 - Photobucket

The Doughboy helmet you have is the US M1917 model that was used by the US Army in WWI up through the early 30's. It was then replaced with the M1917A1 Kelly Helmet, which looks the same on the outside, but acutally has an improved leather liner and chinstrap assembly on the inside. The M1917A1 was the one that was used in the early days of WWII until the M1 replaced it. Your helmet looks like it has been used very little, and the liner is in good shape. It seems to have been repainted on the outside, since the gloss finish over the cork particles seems a bit heavy. Still, this is a nice example, and I've even seen them go for over $150 at some auctions, so I'd say you did alright on your purchase.

Len

with the gas mask, does anyone know what the cannister has inside? When I was in the Navy, we had the OBA (oxygen breathing apparatus) that had a candle thing that lit from the vapors of your breath, and I was wondering if it was the same type of cannister, or if this one is just a charcoal type. Another thing is I can't find an exact type of gas mask that it is, all references point to the MIVA1 being the bag for the mask, not the mask itself. Lastly, I was wondering what types of agents it would have protected against, and what were common gasses used in WWI and WWII? oh, and 1 more thing. Why did they revise the helmets to go from the wide brim to a nearly non existant brim. I would thing the wide brim of the doughboy gives more in the way of flying shrapnel, as opposed to the short brim of the M1. would it be more to0 protect against anything in the ground, or for when people fell (to protect more against neck/spinal injuries)

Don't know much about the gas mask, or even the vintage, but in WWI, the most common types of gas used was mustard gas and phosgene, both very nasty and deadly, and used often. They really never used poison gas in WWII, except perhaps in some small isolated incidents, so luckily the WWII masks probably never saw any use, and many were eventually discarded by the soldiers along the way.

The helmet design also evolved in part due to lessons learned in WWI. The WWI helmet did a good job of protecting the wearer from overhead shrapnel, but since it sat up pretty high, the sides of the head and back of the neck received little protection, especially if the wearer was lying face down in a trench during a barrage. The German found that their helmet, with the large pot shape and tapered rear flange did a good job of this in WWI, so it only evolved slightly in WWII. The Americans used the lessons learned in WWI to develop the M1 to give more head coverage overall than the WWI type. It seemed to work well, since we used it up into the 80's when we ended up with the new kevlar design that is in current use. Interestingly, it's shape has evolved to look much like the German helmets .

Len

ok, so I went to another estate sae and go a "bag of military stuff" it has pictures, has a small diary/journal, a typed "history of the USS Sutton" with a handwritten account on the back dealing with the capture of the U-234and another WWII gas mask. I'll be posting photos, transcripts, and more when I can get them up between work, work, and sleep.