Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a very nice and rare genuine steel construction 1930s Commercial Stahlhelm (Steel Helmet), which was at first outfitted for early Third Reich Police officers, but then converted to a Luftschutz Air Raid Defense helmet later during its service life. Definitely a helmet with a long and interesting history!

These helmets were for the most part identical to the WWI production M16 helmets, however the folded over rim on the bottom of the skirt actually flared out somewhat, almost looking like an M42 helmet. The overall shape was the same, and they still retained the long vent lugs as used for attachment of a stirnpanzer front armor shield, though we do not know if these were ever used at this time. We measured the shell, and it is a 64cm size, however the lugs do not have a step, indicating they were more than likely just ornamental. We checked the shell, and it has no production markings at all, probably to obfuscate the origin.

The helmet originally looks to have been painted pre-war Apfelgrün (apple green), and had a first model Third Reich police decal on the right side, which was a large white swas (hook cross). The left side originally had a Tri-Color shield, and in this case both were overpainted with apple green, after which a LUFTSCHUTZ wing and oak leaf decal was installed on the front. This is in very good condition, retained at about 85%, showing overall and wear from service, with some chipping, which shows the original steel body.

The paint is relatively well retained, but does show wear, particularly on the crown area of the helmet, which is flattened a bit and is missing most of the paint, which has allowed the steel to oxidize. There is also denting to the steel shell, common as these did not use as thick a gauge of steel as the original military issue helmets did. On the sides of the helmet, the outline of the original decals is still clear, and as an added bonus, the paint on top of them has started to crack and check! The original colors of the decals can easily be seen through this, which is how we are sure that the left decal is an angled Tri-color shield. Really a great look to this helmet that saw long service during the third reich!

The helmet has a WWII type "civic" liner, made from leather with a wool padded red fiber band around the exterior, which is held in place by three hollow rivets. All of the rivets retain their exterior paint well, and have the cork spacers between the shell and the liner still intact. All eight fingers of the civic liner are still intact, though the top tie is missing, and there is a crown pad as well, as usually seen with police helmets.

The liner system has a leather band with three leather panels, which have padding behind them in the typical WWI style. The leather liner band is affixed to the shell via three split liner pins in the same places as on the original M1916 helmet, with an added reinforcement metal washer below the pin to better help grip the band. The leather bands becoming detached from the split pins was a known issue during WWI, and one of the reasons they switched to steel liner bands. It also has a crown pad, as often seen with police and Luftschutz helmets. The leather liner is in very good condition, with the expected deterioration from age and wear. It still has the padding under one of the three panels.

The chinstrap on this helmet is rivetted directly to the shell, with one side having a rivet directly through the leather, while the left side has a metal standoff with a square loop on the end. The chinstrap has a steel spring clip that attaches to the loop on the standoff, typical of Civic issue helmets. The chinstrap is in good shape, though it does have an old cut that goes about 40% of the way through near the right end. The spring clip and buckle are all in well working condition.

Commercial Stahlhelm Police helmets are probably the rarest variety of the Police style and are very hard to find, and sure to appreciate in value over the years. This is a very good example that was converted during the war to use as a Luftschutz helmet, and is the first time we have seen one that still has the original decals intact under the overpainted finish. Comes ready to display!