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Since the
1970's fake Waffen-SS helmet covers have been produced from both
reproduction and original SS camouflage cloth. In the
1980's a private collector in New Jersey (USA) manufactured a
large number of reproduction cloth covers from original
material. In doing so he used aluminum clips painted black
as well as anodized steel clips with a similar appearance.
These rocker clips were designed to have the general appearance
of the original despite being newly manufactured. These
reproduction Waffen-SS helmet covers were sold for no more than
$45 at the time, but today are often mistaken as authentic
examples worth thousands of dollars.
Today there
also exists a market for reproduction cloth covers of which the
majority are made in central and eastern Europe. Helmet
covers produced from original cloth material have been exported
from Latvia, Germany, Poland, Russia, and Czechoslovakia since
the mid-1990's. These helmet covers are produced in both
the first and second pattern models using original cloth in poor
to average condition. The older material is used in order
to make the helmet cover appear more convincing to the
unsuspecting buyer. The rocker clips used on these modern
reproductions vary in quality, although more recent versions
have attempted to replicate the proper dimensions and qualities
of the original clips. This will often include chemically
aging the metal and wearing the blackened surface to appear as
though original.
Most older copies from the 1970's
and 1980's use the flat clip shown in the photo at right.
Given the fact that these flat clips are now more than thirty
years old they tend to have a convincing look and feel to the
unsuspecting buyer. As a result, many collectors have
mistakenly purchased helmet covers with these clips thinking
they are authentic. Collectors should be aware that the
majority of Waffen-SS helmet covers currently available today
are in fact reproductions both new and old. These covers
are generally being sold as authentic items and often times with
the seller fully aware that the item is a high quality fake.
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