Fake WW2 ARP / Civil Defence Helmets With Railway Insignia

4/17/2020

Faked WW2 ARP helmets on eBay appears to be becoming a regular issue these days. One particular area the fraudsters are regularly attempting to exploit is the combination of ARP services (Warden, First Aid Party etc) and the various railway companies that existed during the second world war (LMS, GWR, LNER etc).

We recently had a Zuckerman helmet with a made up badge for the London Underground and the below is another fantasy piece. The fraudsters take a genuine WW2-dated helmet, often with original markings and then slap a railway badge onto the helmet. There's a reason there's no original photographic evidence of these helmets ever appearing and that is they were never made in the war.

Adding a badge, especially screwing it into a helmet makes absolutely no sense. First, you now have screw ends and bolts that can pierce your skull. Secondly, it comprises the integrity of the helmet reduces its efficiency. These fakes are complete and utter b*llocks but buyers continue to fork out outrageous sums for them.

1 Comment

Adair Faux-Nightingale

1/18/2021 02:18:26

It's an interesting one, and one which can be called out almost immediately.

The easiest thing (in almost every instance) is that pressed brass is a waste of brass and requires a machine that is, to a railway, a waste of space. all plates are cast or at worst, painted.

This is'nt rare, people have been bolting these plates on to various objects in an attempt to increase value, often ironically putting them beyond use and making perfectly good items completely worthless.

One that i had (for several years) was a pair of brass oriental oil lamps with Kanji for "warning, Hot" and "Kowloon City" and someone had spot-welded a pressed brass "GWR" plaque that made no sense.

the main british railways had some novel and questionable answers to unasked questions during the war (the A13 Covenanter and LNER Catamaran Lifeboat being very good examples) but anything carrying a random sheet of fine brass, copper or tin, pressed and screwed or welded to an item, most likely have nothing to do with those companies. the closest you get is (perhaps) the pressed tin "W" on the underside of Lampe Veritas hand oil lamps commissioned by the GWR, but that's a part of the core design.

It's really sad to see things butchered by people trying to eke extra cash from the gullible for £1 of old brass.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Fake WW2 ARP / Civil Defence Helmets With Railway Insignia

Leave a Reply.

Categories

Archives