How Rare are WW1 Stahlhelm Accessories?
World War 1 was the first war where countries experimented with traditional army helmets. The German stahlhelm was the third army helmet ever used in scale. In total Germany produced roughly 8.5 million stahlhelms throughout World War 1 (Source).
Many efforts were made to improve the stahlhelm throughout the war. This innovation led to the development of special helmet camos, brow plates and helmet covers. In today's market these special additions to the basic stahlhelm are highly desirable to collectors. We don't know exactly how many face shields were made or how many helmets were painted. It really makes you wonder how rare are WW1 stahlhelm accessories? We tried answering that question through eBay sales and market data.
Summary of Our Findings
Accessories | Out of 1182 Stahlhelms | Rarity |
Camo Paint | 154 | ~13% |
Helmet Cover | 7 | ~0.7% |
Face Shield | 4 | ~0.3% |
Stirnpanzer | 10 | 0.8% |
Potential Errors Caused by eBay Data
Using eBay market data can be quite problematic for many reasons. The first issue is that we can only see sales data up to 2 years ago. Our second issue is that there are plenty of fakes being passed off as original. Finally our last issue is that we can't view the specifics of a helmet unless it is still up for sale or if it was sold within 90 days. That made it challenging to figure out if a helmet was refurbished or not since that information would be mentioned in the description. Unfortunately we have to use eBay because their sales data is public and is the only public data we could find. With all that being said, take our numbers with a grain of salt.
How Rare are WW1 Camo Painted Stahlhelms?
Out of 1182 stahlhelms we counted on eBay's sales data, 154 had what looks like original camo paint, that's about 13% of helmets we found. Condition varied a lot, from great to relic to refurbished, but we counted anything with visible original paint. We saw a wide variety of camo schemes. Classic jagged shapes were the most common, turtle shell patterns were rarer, and paint splotches were the rarest of all. A few helmets had unique patterns. One with polka dots, another with long lines. Most of the splotch and unique-pattern helmets look like they were crudely field applied.
How Rare are Helmet Covers for the WW1 Stahlhelms?
Only about 0.7% of stahlhelms had helmet covers, based on our data. We counted just 7 original helmet covers sold on eBay in the past 2 years. That's surprising, since the Imperial German Army heavily relied on helmet covers for their pickelhaubes during WW1. You'd expect the same to carry over to the stahlhelm, but covers turned out to be incredibly rare. The most common cover we found was the classic tan color, and the rarest was a forest green.
Why are WW1 Stahlhelm Helmet Covers so Rare?
By the time the Imperial German Military started to produce the stahlhelm, the German textile industry had already pivoted towards making uniforms and other cloth necessities. Helmet covers weren't deemed as important so production for helmet covers was rare. Instead of using helmet covers for camouflage, the Imperial German Army chose to have their soldiers paint their helmets. That is also why painted stahlhelms are as common as they are.
How Rare are WW1 Stahlhelm Accessory Face Shields?
Only about 0.3% of stahlhelms had face shields based on our data. We found just 4 original face shields sold on eBay out of the 1182 helmets we counted. Face shields were already rare during the war itself. They attached to helmets to protect the face from shrapnel. The most common design we found is a 4 plate face shield that stretches down to the neck, and the rarest is a metal grate cut-out that attaches to the brim of the helmet.
Why are WW1 Stahlhelm Face Covers so Rare?
These face shields reduced visibility and were not popular among soldiers. Face shields were only made early on in the war. There are many variations in face shields but the most common face shields appear to be the 4 plate face shield mentioned earlier. They are very sought after by collectors which has created a market for fake face shields for the German stahlhelm. Faked face shields typically are a metal sheet that goes over the brim of the helmet. The eye holes are wider than the original version. There are likely more faked face shields on the market that collectors aren't aware of.
How Rare are Stirnpanzers?
Only about 0.8% of stahlhelms have a stirnpanzer today, based on our data. We found 10 original stirnpanzers sold on eBay in the past 2 years, out of the 1182 helmets we counted. Stirnpanzers, also known as brow plates, were used by soldiers who wanted extra protection against bullets and high velocity shrapnel. An estimated 50,000 were produced during the war (Source). Of the 10 we found, only 4 still had their original strap. We also didn't come across any painted stirnpanzers, which was surprising to us since so many helmets were painted.
Why were Stirnpanzer So Rare?
On the surface, stirnpanzer plates seem like a great idea. After all who wouldn't want extra armor on their helmet? The stirnpanzer had 2 major issues. First, it was only about 5mm thick and likely wouldn't stop a rifle bullet. The second and biggest issue with the stirnpanzer was its weight. The stirnpanzer weighed 4.6 lbs and would weigh on the front of the helmet. The weight made these helmets incredibly unpopular with troops on the move.
Sources Cited
International Encyclopedia of the First World War, "Steel Helmets" https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/steel-helmet/#toc_germany
Imperial War Museum, "Steel Helmet, M1916 (Camouflage Paint)" https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30091482
Helmut Weitze "World War 1 Stirnpanzer (Brow Plate) for Stahlhelm M 1916" https://www.weitze.com/militaria/21/1_Weltkrieg_Stirnschild_zum_Stahlhelm_M_1916__520221.html