World War II German Helmets - Buy the BEST HERE!

	*Previous Issues* Issue #1 Champagne Runic Decals on M42 CKL helmets Issue #2 Black Allgemeine SS out of the Woodwork Issue #3 General Update & Rambling On Issue #4 Sometimes I have to keep 'em Issue #5 History, that's what is all about! Issue #6 Wow, What a Year! Issue #7 Pre-Show of Shows
*Issue #8 March 2010* *The Show of Shows (SOS)* Well, things have been crazy since returning from the SOS 2010 in Louisville. Finally found a little time to give you guys a recap of the Show. The show was really a blast. I found that the higher end pieces sold really well in general at the show. The more common pieces were abundant and seemed to sit during the show. Working a table pretty much hemmed me in to staying in one place which was difficult as I really wanted to get out and see everything that was out there. Next year I am not going to spend as much time at the table as I really missed out on seeing a number of things, and I didn't get to shop for myself. The Show is huge and you almost suffer from sensory overload. I think some collectors had to spend an entire day just looking as there's so much you are afraid to buy something as the next table may have something you want more. WW2GermanHelmets.com Table at the SOS Canadian Collector, Doug Buhler, and yours truly More than anything, it was worth the time and effort just to meet all the helmet collectors out there. I was really pleased with the number of fellows that made an effort to come by and get introduced in person. It was really humbling that these fellows were willing to take time to find me. Also the great feedback about my website was also great to hear. I have worked really hard over the last 5 years to provide a high quality website as well as high quality German helmets. I really treated the show much like a Trade Show and that aspect was fantastic. I was able to pass out a lot of business cards and met a number of collectors that have never had contact with. The social aspect is one of the best things about the show. I met a number of fellows that participate in the Helmet forums, such as the German Helmet Walhalla forum and the Wehrmacht Awards Forum. To be able to finally put a face with a name was simply great. The helmet collecting community in many ways is a very tight knit group and really a great bunch of enthusiastic history buffs. There were several off site get togethers that were a blast. The first is what has come to be known as "Helmetfest 2010". Doug Buhler, a personal friend and Canadian collector hosted the "Helmetfest 2010" as his hotel room just a few blocks from the Exposition Center. The helmets and the conversation was fantastic. There were number of the most well known and prominent helmet experts in the World in that room. In the bottom right picture, Tom Kibler was giving Doug and I the history behind a US M1 101st Airborne, 502nd Regiment helmet named to US Army Lt. Frye. What an amazing story and a super rare helmet. Tom brings a serious passion to the hobby and I was really impressed with that passion and knowledge. Ty Smith also brought a heavyweight helmet, another US Army M1 Airborne helmet, from the 101st Airborne, 506th Regiment. Ty gave us all a really nice lesson in the US Airborne helmets...thanks for sharing your knowledge with us Ty! And just a screamer of a helmet. If you look at the pictures, you will note a number of killer helmets. There were several pristine DD M35 SS helmets, some minty DD Heers, a super 6th Parachute Regiment M38 Fallschirmjager Normandy camo, a Vet Bringback Desert Afrika Korps M35 Luftwaffe (I brought this one!)...and more. Helmetfest 2010 - a high dollar bed!!! Beers and conversation.... Another really fun event was dinner at the local German Restaurant, the Gasthaus. A number of the fellows from the GHW and WAF forums were in attendance, and the food and conversation was fantastic. We enjoyed the beers and the cute waitresses in their German attire. The event was held on Saturday night and I am hopeful that we can move this dinner up next year to Friday evening as a number of the guys headed home on Saturday afternoon. Gasthaus 2010 Collector Dinner Gasthaus Cutie, Olga with Morten from Norway The show also featured a number of Veteran Guests. It was really great to meet three Veteran's that were part of the Real Band of Brothers. The 101st Veteran's that I had a chance to talk with were Earl McClung, Bradford Freeman, and Lt.Col. Buck Compton. All three gentleman were really nice and very humble fellows. I just wish that I could have had more time to talk with them. I did have Buck Compton sign my copy of his book, "Call of Duty, My Life before, during, and after the Band of Brothers". To these fellows and all Veterans I say thank you for your service to our country. It won't be many years before we will not have a chance to hear the WWII Veteran accounts firsthand. I encourage you to embrace these fellows and talk with them and thank them while the window of opportunity is still there. (Left to right: Bradford Freeman, Sgt. Earl McClung, Lt. Col. Buck Compton, and me standing) Here's a link to the SOS website for more information in case you are thinking about coming to the show in 2011. I encourage you to make the trip if possible. The experience will be one that you will really enjoy, from the vast array of WWII artifacts to the fun and conversation with fellows from all over the World that share our passion for the WWII helmets. A special thanks also to Chris Rennirt (Stahlhelm) for sending me many great pictures as well as hosting the Gasthaus event! Your hospitality was greatly appreciated! http://www.sosovms.com/show_of_shows.htm In closing I wanted to mention an event at the show which has been quite the conversation topic on the various forums....the XRF Technology presentation. David May with XRF came by my table and gave a great demonstration of this cutting edge testing equipment. I was really impressed with this new technology. The Readers Digest version is, this XRF scan actually will give the elements or composition of the the paint and decals and allow us to compare with known authentic examples. David May along with the staff at the Wilson Historical Research Center, with the backing of Kelly Hicks are getting ready to launch a business that will provide a a service to authenticate helmets using good ol' hands on inspection coupled with the latest science for a deeper analysis of the properties of the helmet using the XRF technology. Finally science is catching up with the hobby and it will provide another safeguard to protect all of us from the fakes that circle the Globe. Next month, I am planning a full blog on the topic of the XRF technology. In the meantime, do check out the XRF technology at www.XRFacts.com. I wish each of you the best....hang in there as Spring is just around the corner! Until next time, happy hunting! Dave
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