I got into a brief discussion at a Fair the other day which has really made me think…I was asked why I no longer collect TR lids and why the interest in them outweighs all other helmets / nations put together. I could answer the first one easily – I simply got to a point when I couldn’t be 100% sure that what I was about to commit a frighteningly high amount of money to was what I was being told it actually was….so I dropped out of the race and moved to other types. But that didn’t answer the second bit about why TR helmets, indeed TR EVERYTHING, is always the Quarterback, the Prom Queen, the Centre Forward, the singer, the Nike, the Apple etc etc of the militaria world. I mean just look at any forum…..you could have just taken ownership of the helmet (netted of course…and possibly even badged) worn by the lead Commando at the St Nazaire raid only to be swamped with posts to someone who’s mate claims to have a biro which might’ve been used by a friend of an SS man AFTER the war.

Since I couldn’t answer that question intelligently and without using broad brush sweeping generalities I side-stepped it but it’s been on my mind since and, having chatted it over, I’ve come up with a number of possibilities….

1) They were the losers and “everyone loves the underdog” – ‘might be a bit harsh but factually correct. But if this is the case why don’t Forums ring to the tunes of collectors specialising in helmets from all the other defeated countries through history….Iraq? Grenada? Iran? Argentina? US (Vietnam)? France (at the start at least)? Czech? etc etc

2) “They were elite” – this one kinda insults every specialist from the French Resistance, the SOE, Green Berets, SAS, GSG etc so perhaps it means the elite from the OTHER* side….but that means collectors of Republican Guard stuff, Fedayeen stuff, Argentine Commando stuff, US Delta, Grenadian-based Cuban stuff, Brit Para, Spetnaz stuff etc etc would fill every forum….they don’t. (*”other” is gonna potentially cause issues…but you know what I mean….)

3) That “it’s better quality stuff” – now this one’s pretty much irrefutable….one only has put an Adrian, MkII, Ssh39 (or 40!) or “Doughboy” next to an early war double-decaled M35 to see this is pretty true and even when the allies made improvements they still didn’t come close to the quality of the build. One has to ask why the Adrian helmet, with it’s unique vented crown and interior leather, doesn’t seem to have quite the same fan-base but hey….Admittedly the German quality was sacrificed it as supplies/resources thinned out but……

4) The ideology…..’not gonna go there except to say this IS a reason some “people” collect.

5) “They’re a better investment”…….oh, that old one…….

6) “They’re cool” – now this one crops up time and time again. A definition states that cool means “very fashionable, stylish, or appealing in a way that is generally approved of especially by young people”. ‘not sure about the “young people” bit, especially where most folk here opt to display their ages under their Avatar (sorry boys!)….so I THINK this means the attraction is that at a time when other countries helmets were one-colour pudding-bowl wannabees with webbing and faux leather (this excludes “Adrian”) inners, a uniquely shaped, highly engineered BADGED helmet stuck out like a Lambo at a Nash Metropolitan Convention. Indeed, was it the badging that did it??…are collectors simply hypnotised by the presence of a stick-on badge? (from the number of books produced on this particular topic there MUST be some attraction there)…oh and we have badges too!!!!

7) …or finally……”you’re in the wrong Forum!”…….mmmm…now THAT one hurt!

So I can conclude that I DON’T KNOW…..I wanna go with a combination of 3) [quality] and 6) [cool]…….but could be wrong……

…..’any thoughts?

Perhaps I should’ve posted this in a different category/group……..??