RARE M42 Army/Waffen-SS no decal steel helmet by unknown maker qvl64

Description

Genuine late war no decal M42 steel helmet. Worn helmet in ‘as-found’ condition. Complete with liner, steel band dated 1944. The rivets remain dusty, straight and untouched. The leather is complete but feels stiff and dry. Made by the unknown firm of qvl (stamped with v upside down q^l) size 64. Lot number 5035. An extremely rare helmet – must have for any helmet collector!

Some extra information from Brian Ice his Lot number database added in the pictures.

Some extra information from germanhelmetvault.com

Mystery maker qvl/qvL

• Always rear stamped and found on M42 helmets without a decal.
• Production is estimated to have took place between 1944 – 1945
• The visual resemblance with ckl/CKL helmets from Thale is great , also the font of the maker stamp and lot number is identical so this could possibly a continuation of the CKL production line. Addendum a QVL helmet was found with a Thale (ET/CKL) dome stamp , this confirms that QVL helmets are late war ET/CKL factory helmets. 

 

Some extra information from alexanderandsonsrestorations.com:

A number of M42 helmets have been discovered with the manufacture marks of qvL, bvl, and bvL. At this date these is no conclusive evidence as to which firm made these helmets. It appears that these three different marks are all from the same maker. It maybe that the b is actually an upside down q. Complicating matters a few of these helmets are found missing the first letter all together. This may just be a factory error. Original helmets with these markings are found to be painted rough textured slate gray and lack decals. These would seem to indicate  they were made after the decal drop order of 28 August 1943. The helmet’s components are typical dated 1943 or 44 which further confirms late 1943-44 production.

As to which firm actual made these helmets is a mystery. Several theories have been put forward. The shape of the shell is identical to that of Eisenhuttenwerke. This may indicate that this factory may have been a satellite of Eisenhuttenwerke, or at the very least they had a close relationship with this firm. One theory that has been put forward is that these helmets were made in occupied Czechoslovakia, at Skoda works in Pilson. Over the years a number of elderly Czechs have claimed to have made helmets during the war, and these stories have filtered their way onto the internet on various helmet collector forums and social media pages. While these stories maybe antidotal at best they do give some credence to the theory of Czechoslovakian manufacture. Still for the time being these theories will remain as such