1448 US M1918 "LIBERTY BELL" EXPERIMENTAL HELMET WITH

SOLD
2,500.00USD
This item SOLD at 2024 Oct 31 @ 16:00UTC-4 : AST/EDT
Category Firearms & Military
Auction Currency USD
Start Price 900.00 USD
Estimated at 1,800.00 - 2,500.00 USD
3-PAD LINER & CHINSTRAP. This type of American helmet is one of the scarcest examples authorized and produced by the US Army. It is known as the US M1918 "Liberty Bell" helmet. Somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 of these helmets were produced during the early months of US involvement in WWI. These helmets were hated by the troops and were thought to contribute to low morale. The decision to adopt these helmets was reversed, and the helmet was dropped from production and inventory in 1920. The much more popular "Doughboy" helmet became the standard for US Army troops. This experimental example has a dark green-painted finish and was produced with a German-style 3-pad leather liner and leather chinstrap. CONDITION: helmet generally shows light wear overall but does appear to have seen limited use. The painted finish has been refreshed, likely during its useful life. There are traces of paint on the edges of the liner, indicating this odd 3-pad liner was in place before the repaint was accomplished. (02-23080/BF). $1,800-2,500.