GERMAN WWI M.17 HELMET WITH EXTERIOR LUGS.

A very unusual and scarce M.17 helmet with the lugs from the chinstrap on the exterior of the shell. This extremely rare variation of the M.17 helmet, shown clearly on page 29 of The Bible of the Steel Helmet by Ludwig Baer, he does not give any text as to why there was experimentation with this lug fitting, it is an M.17 helmet and one can only propose it may have been a prototype for the subsequent M.18 that does have the lugs on the inside. The helmet is in superb condition, losses to the paint on the crown but a good amount of original paint finish on the lower half of the helmet, with its nice white leather M.17 three pad liner system with its drawstring. Good ink stencil size ‘64’ to the rear of the skull also the shell stamped ‘ET64’.

Code: 85200