Another "What do I have here?" thread!

[lawrence_n]

Some of the pieces I just picked up are self-expanatory. Where I'm a little lost is on current values and I.D. on two pieces. The Canadian Civil Defense helmet is a no-brainer. It's in very good shape except for the dent on the top (see pic) and some paint loss, but the innards are there. The Canadian issue helmet is also obvious and in excellent shape. Inside the brim it reads "C.L./C. 1941" and the number "37" stamped below that, and it too is complete and in excellent shape. Where I'm at sea is the pith helmet. There's a cloth tag inside that reads something like "Mastriangelo - Boston" and there's no liner. It feels like cardboard so I wonder if it's a true military tropical helmet or some marching band piece. The canteen feels too flimsy for a military piece and I'm assuming it's a civilian made "military style" canteen. Any input is more than welcome especially values. I may have over-paid for all this stuff. Thanks for looking.

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[Flying10uk]

Where I'm a little lost is on current values

=what someone/anyone is, currently, willing to pay for the item that you have for sale.

If I feel that an item for sale is over-priced, generally, I don't buy it.

I would say that the Canadian military issue helmet is the desirable item there but probably not especially valuable because of the numbers made.

The Pith helmet is not good without the liner, in my opinion, unless it is complete or you purchased it cheaply. People like a complete item as a collectable, not 50% of an item.

[lawrence_n]

Well, some research, both on my part and particularly from a good friend, yielded some interesting results. The Canadian helmet is sold and very quickly. It turned out that it was worth much more than I'd suspected, but then I've been away from military collectibles for a long time. The interesting one was the "Bobby" style police helmet. It turns out to be a Boston Police Pat.1880 helmet in pretty good shape. It is complete since they were individually sized like Stetson hats and the sweat band is intact, though kind of tatty. What helps is the fact that the hat band and escutcheon on top are both complete and in good shape. I even found 2 small holes where the cap badge would have been. I don't suppose anyone here would be familiar with law enforcement collectibles? I found civil defense helmets for a broad range of prices on EBay, so I'll kind of ballpark the price when I put it on the table at the next gun show.

[Flying10uk]

The Canadian helmet is sold and very quickly. It turned out that it was worth much more than I'd suspected,

Like I said: Value

=what someone/anyone is, currently, willing to pay for the item that you have for sale.