Probably one of the most intimidating aspects of helmet collecting is the possibility that you won’t recognize a reproduction helmet. Unfortunately there isn’t alot of help out there just yet and the reproductions seem to be getting better. Let me interject a personal note on reproductions. I see nothing inherently wrong or undesirable about these collectibles. I hope to have several of these helmets in my collection. What I do take issue with is someone trying to pass a reproduction off as an original. As with any endeavor that passes wealth from one to another, the purchaser must be on guard. Copies and reproductions abound. From copies of ancient Mayan artifacts to copies of present day currencies. From stamps, coins, autographs, cars and paintings to modern day tennis shoes; if money is changing hands, forgeries will be present. Education is the key, but keep in mind that even the ‘experts’ get fooled. A short but informative article appeared in the Historical Diver number 5, Summer of 1995 ( This is the publication of the Historical Diving Society USA). The article was authored by Leslie Leaney, the president of the Historical Diving Society USA and one of the editors of their publication. Mr. Leaney points out that most of the fakes are in perfect condition. Although you may run across a helmet that has never been used and has been stored for fifty years or more, you should probably be more wary of items found in pristine condition. I recently ran across a helmet advertised on the web that is just the opposite of this situation. This helmet was dented, it had an aquired patina and it looked old and used. It was advertised as a “Japanese 12 bolt from the 1930’s or 40’s, a World War II relic”. It really is a Chinese 12 bolt from a much more modern era. It could have been carefully beat with a hammer and left in the weather to aquire that ‘years of underwater’ coloring or it could have been a well used Chinese 12 bolt. The point is that it was represented as something it wasn’t ( knowingly or unknowingly) and the asking price was twice what we would expect a pristine Chinese 12 bolt to bring. Which brings up another caution; everything you read here could be changed by a clever counterfeiter. New helmets can be made to look old, serial numbers can be stamped by hand and authentic items can be soldered to reproductions. Many of the reproductions, but not all, are made in Asia. Many of these reproductions spell the manufactures name inncorrectly. They may be just poor spellers, but more likely they do this for legal reasons. Siebe Gorman becomes Ciebe Gorman, Drager, becomes Drageer and C.E. Heinke becomes C.H. Heinke. Wether the reproducer does this for legal reasons or not; it helps us. With a little research we will know that a helmet is a reproduction if we find the manufacturers name spelled wrong. Also check inside the helmet for air channels and working chin or head buttons at the air exhaust valve. If not present then we are probably looking at a reproduction ( caution, may be present on some copies and many older helmets will lack these items.). Many times there will be no threads on the incoming air line fitting and no non-return valve interior parts. As you can see it is going to take alot of time and research to become confident in your appraisal of the authenticity of a helmet. I have found that most antique dealers are very helful and honest about a helmets identification. If they know it is a reproduction, they will usually volunteer the information. When you see a reproduction make notes so that you will be able to identify it when you see it again. To that end I am going to contrast a 1940’s Morse Mark V with the most prolific reproduction you are apt to encounter. I call it the “8-29-41”, because they all have a manufacturers name plate with that date. This helmet is not made by Morse. Morse does not make reproductions of their older helmets, yet. I understand that they may make working models of their older helmet in the near future. I have talked with a representative of Morse Diving on the phone and was told that he believed this particular reproduction was made in Korea. I also have heard from one importer that it comes from Taiwan. This is a nice reproduction that would look terrific in your home, office or dive shop. It usually is in pristine condition ( by now you are wary about that, right? ) and it is about the right width and height. I am contrasting this reproduction with a Morse Mark V that I own. Mine is a 1944 example, not 1941, but most of the major differences are still the same. Where they are not I will so state. After reading the information below and studying the pictures you will be able to spot this reproduction everytime. The first difference and possibly the most obvious is the weight. The Morse Mark V weights about 65 to 68 lbs. The reproduction wieghts 32 to 40 lbs. I am told the reproduction helmet and breast plate are held together by screws and do not use an interrupted thread. I am also told that there are no air channels inside the helmet and that a chin button is not present. Now contrast the two helmets using the pictures below and the table of differences under the pictures. |
