A Story of Two Helmets

Returning to my roots in a way, I picked up two Second World War M-1 helmets a week apart from each other.  I hadn't found a decent WW2 era M-1 in the wild for a couple years, so this was a good break in the drought.

The M-1 helmet is famous.  Adopted into service by the U.S. armed forces in 1941, the M-1 served for four decades with the U.S. military in multiple forms until it was replaced by the ballistic kevlar helmet in the 1980s.  It had served its wearers well, often protecting against artillery and grenade shrapnel and, rarely, it would even stop the occasional stray bullet.



Below are the two M-1 helmets I found, both from antique shops for roughly $70 each.

This first one is an early to mid-war helmet.  It has a front seam (the seam in the brim edging of the shell is at the front; it was switched to the back by late war), fixed bails (early to mid-war chinstrap bails were solid but often broke and were replaced mid- to late war by swivel bails), Olive Drab #3 chinstraps (changed to the greener OD #7 later in the war), brass chinstrap hardware (late-war variants had steel hardware), and a stainless steel brim edge (changed to non-stainless metal as stainless tended to lose its paint).  It also has a matching mid-war Westinghouse liner in nice condition.

There's some scuffing around the front of the shell, paint speckles on the side, and the liner chinstrap is dry and broken, but this is a nice example of an early M-1 helmet.  The cork texture is excellent on this one.

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The shell and liner chinstraps have matching laundry numbers, showing these two pieces have been together since the beginning.  Looking up the number and name, I found this helmet belonged to a soldier from Pennsylvania who was a widower and joined the U.S. Army in 1939.

Like the helmet above the U.S. Marine Corps helmet below is early to mid-war: front seam, fixed bail, OD #3 chinstraps, brass chinstrap hardware, and stainless rim.  It too has a mid-war Westinghouse liner with a dry and broken chinstrap.  Unlike the helmet above, this helmet has a well-used third pattern USMC cover.

This is a salty helmet and has that 'been there' look to it.  The helmet and cover look like they've been together forever.  Who knows what this helmet has been through and to whom it was issued, but one thing is for sure: it is a veteran WW2 USMC helmet.

Helmets like this USMC helmet are getting more difficult to find in the wild but as this one has shown, they are still out there.  These two helmets will be staying in my collection and thus far the USMC helmet is the centerpiece.

Below is the USMC helmet with another one of my M-1 helmets, a mid- to late WW2 shell with a miss-matched Korean War-era CAPAC liner.

These old helmets are quite intriguing, are great 'monuments' to the brave men and women who wore them, and are fun to collect but like everything else, they can be quite expensive and fakes abound.  If you wish to begin collecting M-1 helmets enjoy the history behind them but beware, fakers are getting very good at what they do and it is easy to sink a lot of dough into a single shell.  Be patient and informed.

Remember our veterans.

A Suit to Die For or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Enjoy

About a month ago I found a wonderful suit.

Double breasted, a rich brown color, with elegant chalk-striping.  Dating from the late 1930s to early 1940s, it was in very good condition for its age.  A small hole here, some wear on the the lining there.  Nothing major, all of it easily repairable.  The peaked lapels had a nice shape and generous belly to them, giving them an attractive appearance.

And it was a decent price, so I purchased it for myself.

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The only problem: after I brought it home I found that it didn't fit me right.  Just a tad too big around.  The trousers and jacket arms were long enough (a rarity for me) but the waist of both the jacket and trousers were too big around.  Alas, I didn't notice it when I tried it on at the shop.  Maybe I was delusional with awe of having found such a cool suit, who knows.

No big (monetary) loss, I just threw it on my Etsy shop and resold it to a very happy buyer.  But historically and maybe even emotionally it was a big loss.  Rarely do you find a suit like this in condition like this at a price for which this one was available; it hits you hard, brings you down from your high when (perhaps) the find of they year doesn't fit you.

And that brings us to the lesson of the night: don't form an emotional attachment to these physical things, no matter how cool they are, because sometime or another they will go away.  They are just things.  Enjoy them while they last, but don't make them your life.

So while this suit slipped through my fingers, I enjoyed it while it was in my possession and passed it along to someone else who is currently enjoying it even more than I ever could.

That's what it's all about: whether it be a physical item or knowledge, pass it along for others to enjoy.  And that's the main reason this blog exists, to pass along knowledge and experience.

New Hats at the Houndstooth Haberdashery.

Some new Spring arrivals at the Houndstooth Kid Haberdashery.  These hats are in a variety of styles, conditions, and sizes.  Sizes range from medium to large.

Here is a taste of what you'll find at the Haberdashery.

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New York, New York!

Roughly a month ago Cassie and I went on a trip to New York City for a weekend.  It was my first trip and I was excited.  I'd never been to a large city before, let alone one the size of NYC.  A relative is currently living there so she was our guide throughout the city.

We drove 4 hours through a snow storm to catch our plane and after a whole day of travelling (not to mention a several hour delay in Chicago), we finally arrived at our hotel in mid-town Manhattan.

Tired but excited to start exploring.

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We stayed up late checking out some of the sights including Times Square, which was pretty neat to see at night.

Along with Grand Central Station (it's still big and beautiful on its 100th birthday)...

...and seeing the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building from a distance.

The next day we had a full day of exploring before we went to "Newsies" on Broadway in the evening.  I felt like dressing up a bit and went out in the rain in my red plaid sports coat, gray flannel trousers, and an ascot. I received several positive comments about my kit.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

I was able to hit some thrift/vintage shops on this day.  I'll tell you, thrifting in NYC is very different from thrifting where I live in the Midwest.  There are a lot more shops and vintage pieces from which to choose, but prices are sky-high.  I was, however, able to snag two 1940s sports coats at a Salvation Army for a decent price.

The next day we wandered downtown and hopped the Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

We then made a stop at Ground Zero and the nearly completed Freedom Tower...

...before visiting the Empire State Building...

...and my favorite, the Chrysler Building.  While the Empire State Building is great, the Chrysler Building is Art Deco perfection.  It has wings and eagle heads, goodness' sake!

While at the Empire State Building we stumbled upon Cheap Jack's Vintage.  I'd heard of Cheap Jack's before, or should I say, heard of its reputation, but even so took a look inside.  Cheap Jack's, contrary to what you might think, is not cheap.  

Selection at Cheap Jack's isn't bad for men's items except for hats (they've been pretty thoroughly picked through).  There are plenty of suits from many different eras as well as leather jackets and sportswear, but all of it is pretty outrageously priced.  $500+ for a typical 1950s suit?  No thanks, I'll just wait and find a similar one for less than a quarter of the price back home.  Somehow they've stayed open since the 1970s.  It's closed right now as it is moved to a new location.

On the last day we hoofed it along 5th Avenue, looking at all the windows and ran into Rockefeller Center, another neat Art Deco building.

We also got to see the Flatiron Building, one of the tallest buildings of its time in NYC.  I love the triangular shape of it.

We loved visiting the city but I don't think I could ever live there.  NYC has a sort of energy in the air because of all of the people and busyness that kept us going throughout the weekend but I could see how it might become tiring and overwhelming with time.  

However, the more I think back at my time there the more I'd like to visit NYC again in the near future.  It was quite an experience.

One last departing look at the Chrysler Building.

An Intro to Overcoats

This is a topic I've been meaning to discuss for some time now.  It's fitting that I post this piece on the day the Midwest is receiving not just a winter storm but a blizzard.

Perfect timing.

Overcoats.  What does that word do to you?  What pops into your mind when you first hear it?  Do you picture an overcoat as being heavy, bulky, stiff and itchy or soft, warm, sleek and comfortable?

The category that is represented by the word 'overcoat' is vast and full of many different styles of coats.  So whether you pictured the big, bulky overcoat or the stylish, sleek coat your idea was probably correct, if limited.

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Comparison: the overcoat of the 1940s and a 'modern' one of the late 1950s.

The overcoat is an old garment with one simple goal in mind: keep the wearer warm.  Now, that doesn't mean it can't be jazzed up a bit to look stylish, just that the main goal is warmth and that style is secondary.  If it succeeds at the latter but fails at the former, well, it makes a poor coat of any kind.  The overcoat has its roots in the military with the Greatcoat, hence its utilitarian purpose.  But the overcoat would not have survived so long had it not grown to be stylish.  From the dull military garment made of rough, thick wool with brass buttons to the stylish and gentlemanly garment of the 1930s, the overcoat has gone through many different rebirths.  

Yesteryear the overcoat was a staple of the wardrobe.  It provided, obviously, warmth on a cold day and most often looked quite snappy.  There were many different and unique styles of overcoats back then, especially during the Golden Era.  The late 1920s to the early 1940s was the apogee of overcoat design.  The materials, construction, styles, price, and availability of overcoats were all outstanding.  Even department stores like J.C. Penney's and Younkers carried interesting and well constructed overcoats back then.  The overcoat was a necessity, and a stylish one at that.  Every man had one, whether he was a wealthy businessman or politician right down to the homeless man on the street.

No more.

The overcoat of today is not only rare to see in its natural habitat (being worn), it's also boring, rather poorly made, and usually very high priced for what you get.  Maybe that's why so few men wear them.  When was the last time you saw a modern overcoat with a belted back?  A loud yet attractive plaid fabric pattern?  Pleating and an impeccable fit?  Not today unless you spend $600+ for a made-to-measure or bespoke overcoat.  But not many of us can afford something like that.

Yawn.  Wake me when it at least grows some peaked lapels.

In the next few posts of this series we'll take an in-depth look at different styles and examples of vintage overcoats and see just what the overcoat was really meant to be: not only warm but also classically stylish.

Thrift Store Runway: Winner

The website Thrift Store Runway holds a monthly contest where contestants submit thrifted outfits in an attempt to win one of the prizes.   Entries must be made of thrifted items and cost less than $50.  Last month I entered several kits and one of them won!

TSR gives five prizes each month.  If they receive less than 50 submissions each prize will be $100; if more than 50 submissions each prize will be $500.

In the month of November they received over 150 submissions so each of the five prizes were $500.  So, I got $500 as well as a donation from TSR to the thrift-based charity of my choice.  Very cool.

I encourage you to enter the December contest with your best thrifted outfits and see if you don't win!

The Hard Life, Part 1

Railroad workers, circa 1920s-1930s.

Their faces show a life filled with hard work, danger, and struggle yet some managed to crack a smile for the camera. A couple of the older ones look boldly toward the camera while others let the long years of work show on their faces.  A few guys wore their Sunday best for their photos but most just wore what they had on after a hard day's work.

This may be the only photographic evidence of these men's existence.

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Scott Eshlamann

Jon Miller

Smokey Atkins

Albert Isaac

To be continued...