Wow I wasn’t expecting that, Honestly I thought he would talk a lot but not give much….he just pulled the curtain all the way back- great job getting this interview!

@bestcanadianace

2 жыл бұрын

you said it, interested to see what Kelly has to say

I have massive respect for Doug. Exposing the whole rotten scam and putting a massive spotlight on certain individuals who thought they were beyond reproach. Doug had the balls to blow the lid and watch these parasites run for cover. I just love the way Doug carried out his investigation..... something out of a Sherlock Holmes novel. He wouldn't rest until he found out the truth. That's the kind of human being which appeals to me. The pain stacking research he put in, along with the hours upon hours and vast sums of money. Building a massive research portfolio in genuine and fake SS helmets. Speaking so openly and candidly is a credit with 100% integrity . I actually have one of Doug's helmets in my collection . Well done MilitariaReview for compiling all this information and putting it together! Best wishes

Very informative and sad at the same time. To set the record straight regarding the Model 35 DD SS helmet that Doug mentioned was used in my first volume, the book was already in print before Doug gave me the sad news. As Doug said, he sold me the helmet in good faith and I resold it to a collector in Russia. Once Doug told me it was fake, I reached out to the collector in Russia and told him it was no good and offered him a complete refund. The collector in Russia said he didn't want to send it back.

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

Bill of you wouls be so kind could you swing me and email, I have a question not on the subject for you

@hammer844

2 жыл бұрын

Bill you are truly one of the few militaria dealers with integrity.

@billshea281

2 жыл бұрын

@@hammer844 Thanks very much for your kind words. Patrick and I both appreciate that.

@Adman-p4j

2 жыл бұрын

You did right by Doug and the Russian collector. This is why I always felt good buying from you.

@billshea281

2 жыл бұрын

@@Adman-p4j Thanks very much

For the short amount of time that you have had this KZread channel, to have a interview like this tells me that your about to really make some great changes to the hobby. Thank you Mr. B. for coming out and doing the interview. Militaria Review thank you for the great videos and keep up the good work.

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

Appreciate the kind comment friend

This is being heavily talked about on the k98kforum right now. There are members there that tried to talk about these helmets years ago, but the big wigs that were making the money called them Hobby anarchists. Hell there was one member on the Wehrmacht awards forum that basically said Kelly Hicks was the god of SS helmet collecting. Nobody had a right to question his integrity. It got so cringe-worthy that other members said you better watch the skies you might get lightning bolts sent at you. Just awful.

@jaytrance1

2 жыл бұрын

The WAF is full of that sort of crap,good items being shouted down by idiots and Questinable items given the thumbs up because of a name.

I was great friends with Doug. I learned so much from him. We communicated almost everyday via the forums until the decal situation "popped off". He left the hobby and I never heard from him, again. I was sad he did that. I was sad he cut me off like that. I still love the guy. He was my big brother in the forums. I still miss him. I hope he's doing well. God bless him n his family.

As a Forensic Scientist and Criminalist, I can confirm that his methods and observations of the decals are well understood and employed in forensic pattern matching diciplines and document examination.

Thank you Doug for your complete honesty.

Doug is such a great guy. Years ago he did me a solid by offering to review a recently purchased SS M42 helmet. I shipped it out to him and he put it under his scope and had a good hands-on look and shipped it back to me on his dime (It was a good one thankfully). Really a stand-up character and somebody that I would want in my corner. It's a shame that he felt he had to get out of the hobby but if it stops bringing you joy then it's understandable. I am shocked to hear that Ken N was at the very front of the this scandal. He is somebody that I trusted and looked up to. Kelly Hicks didn't do himself any favours with how he handled it but it does sound like he was mostly being used by the key players.

@bad74maverick1

2 жыл бұрын

Ken wasn't sure what was going on. In fact in his 2016 book he specifically addresses the Champagne decals in pages 170 through 180. After the debacle and blow up Ken did his best to make it right. I think Ken got caught up in it, but wasn't really a part of it. He did his best to rectify it. Today the moderators and administrators and many many other collectors and hobbyists such as myself consider his book The Helmet Decals of the Third Reich the foremost authority on german helmets.

There is so much money to be made in this hobby ( I've seen totally rusted out groundfind Fallshirmjager helmets being bid on for 1000 Euro's ), it's not surprising that some people fake it. I started the hobby about 15 years ago and prices are going crazy for stuff you could buy at a dumpstore 40 years ago for peanuts. Ahhh, don't we all wish we could go back in time, knowing what we know now. Your videos have made me much more aware, and I have been pointing out peoples mistakes on severall sites, thankfully with positive feedback. Sometimes even honest dealers don't know they are selling fakes. Great interview and please keep up the good work, this is very important. Cheers Ian.

@bad74maverick1

2 жыл бұрын

I have been this hobby for 30 years. Even back then in the mid 90's, there were scammers out there. We just didn't have the literature yet! Now we do, but sadly not the price line!

As a new collector, I had a rare opportunity to talk to Doug a year ago about the nuances of the hobby, when I was trying to make sense of it all. Really grateful for all the best practices and words of wisdom he shared with me. I felt that he was a gentleman with integrity, which is a virtue not often seen these days. He's a fellow Canadian also! albeit different province. The champagne debacle has certainly inspired me to stay clear of Ken and Kelly, and to have some healthy skepticism for German helmets on the market.

Wow I was blown away with this interview! Alot of people who I once respected alot if this true is completely destroyed!

@hammer844

2 жыл бұрын

All true.

Very informative and good interview. Nice to listen and have the pictures on screen with it to sum this up. Even my wife sat down and listened with me. Hell.. she was interested and she is absolutely no collector. Popcorn material indeed :)

Awesome investigsative work by Doug.

Sad that perfectly good helmets were ruined to make these fakes.

Very Very Informative thank-you both for your time and talent.

A great interview, happily for me all my helmets I've dug up myself and they only cost sweat and mosquito bites. I think one of the most important aspects of the story is when provable facts through research and scientific analysis come into contact with the cult of personality in 'name' collectors/dealers and authentication being based on experience and gut feeling. I've come up against it myself over the years on WAF, a well presented and backed up argument is worth infinitely more than a simple 'it's real or fake' coming from a 'name'

I am not a collector, just an enthusiast of German memorabilia... I have been following this story at WAF , your videos... and this is just sad. A lot of friendship and trust just ruined. Thanks for the video.

Thanks Shipmate, very insightful indeed🇬🇧

Another great video! Wow, didn't know much about Doug Buhler before this other than that he was one of the premier helmet collectors. What a stand up guy, takes someone with real integrity to buy a questionable item back from someone and let them know about it. Hopefully this video will keep more people honest going foward. Thanks for doing this interview.

Been awaiting this one !!! :-)

This was incredible. Can't wait for the next one, and the one after lol.

My Father was a Sgt. in a US Army Combat Engineer Battalion in WW2 and he gave me a silver panzer badge & a nskk stickpin that he brought back In 1968 I started collecting, back then fakes were not high tech as it is now and some were actually laughable.I stopped collecting when these high tech fakes started showing up.I still have what my Father gave me .I also have known Bill Shea for over 25 years, One of the good guys in the hobby. I also know Al Barrows who has quite a collection of helmets. My Father also told me they would line up German helmets and run over them with tanks.

While I am not a helmet collector, I am a long time militaria collector and I have to say this interview is fascinating.

Another great one!

Fantastic interview, great questions and Doug seems like a great guy. Sound like Ken was suspect of Kelly but either didn't want to start a fight with a friend or cause drama . sometimes calling out a longtime friend on something is hard in regards to anything. But he put purposely put that little spark in Doug's head that something was wrong.

Great work!

In civil war collecting there are a lot of secret deals or "I'll tell you, but don't tell anybody", far too much cloak and dagger. A lot of dug items, but the seller can't say where it was dug. Plenty of good stuff and honest folks too.

@billb89

2 жыл бұрын

Ever hear about the TW&W Eagle CS buttons made by the original manufacturer in France? I have a few.

@crimsonreaper6613

2 жыл бұрын

civil war is a minefield of fakes too

@themischeifguide

2 жыл бұрын

@@crimsonreaper6613 you're right about that, and it really messes up some researchers, when a good fake has bogus provenance. Not only are they cheating people out of money, but they are potentially messing up our understanding of material culture, if they for example, pass off a fake as a rare item and say it was dug at Stones River.

What a wonderful interview. You did a great job on this one. Doug Buhler is a guy that I have heard of. I did not know how in depth he went into investigating these helmets. He seems like a stand up guy who definitely went the extra mile in ferreting out the fakes. You made a good point about the lack of any authentication services like we see for baseball cards, comic books and autographs. Actually Doug Buhler would be a great guy to start such a service. The backstory on these fake SS helmets told by Doug Buhler is fascinating. The question is whether Kelly Hicks is a victim or fraudster. I look forward to your interview with him. Another question is whether this guy who did the airbrushed "decals", is still alive. This other guy, Ken, who wrote books with these fakes portrayed as real ones along with Hicks has made me realize that the books might not just be wrong but an actual deception. Kelly Hicks has alot to explain to those of us who brought his fake helmets and his books ( which I purchased at least two that I can remember.) I will pull his books out of my library and plan to do a review of your interviews, I want to thank you again for the valuable information and entertainment that me. I will try to catch up on my videos. Keep up the great work and take care. Colonel Burlique

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks colonel appreciate then support

Amazing story,, sad to say not shocked though,, so many snakes in the Militaria collectors world.

That's the story of how so many plain jane ckl's m42 helmets died... being a lover of these late war ones, it hurts!

I keep thinking cone heads when he says dekal. But great interview, cheers.

@bobkrohn8053

2 жыл бұрын

I agree. Why do so many people mispronounce this word?? It’s deee-kaal. I can find no reference that shows it pronounced as.dekal

@hammer844

2 жыл бұрын

Canadian.

Eric Dolan downvoted this vid.

Really interesting to understand how such a scam comes together. Thank you very much for giving us a deeper insight into this and I hope interviews and investigative work like this improves the community and makes it a bit more beginner friendly.

This is gonna be an interesting one

I got my popcorn, and D is in hand when things get wild LOL :P

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

Spicy

Remember these helmets being sold by Regimentals back in the day !

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

Regementals is the pure bottom draw of militaria dealers

@thilgu

2 жыл бұрын

Regimentals is exposed for selling fakes quite often. Remember the white LW visor cap!

I think of a great tune from the group Traffic ; "Dear Mister Fantasy"

Took me a minute to realize he was saying decal lol

Swapping liners is not difficult at all.. All you need is the right liner. Also, you can't have Palsy.

I would have been wary of someone saying my SS helmet is fake but they wanna buy it off me lol

You’ve been a talking point on a forum I’m a part of, warrelics

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

Excellent

@heer4149

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, the return of Doug has caused a stir in the community

Your the man !

Would love to see a documentary on Brooks Bush US para helmets and modified M42 Jump Jackets. Oh baby!

This is the best militaria channel since Mr. Rivett was de-platformed by the cowards at YT.

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

It was mainly a effort by a group of dealers that got him removed, he us still out there on bitchute

Amazing how complex this obscure little world we live in as Third Reich collectors is & the vast majority of the global population has no idea such a hobby exists.

i think the party variant party decal was on a fake police helmet i picked up.

Next is suss AH silverware

Finally!

For an otherwise reputable dealer to make an honest mistake, and sell a reproduction/fake item as "genuine" to an unsuspecting collector, is one thing. Honest mistakes can and sometimes do happen. But for a dealer, or someone supplying said dealer, to knowingly sell fakes as "genuine" is another matter entirely, and we call that "criminal fraud." In this case it sounds like there was unfortunately never enough evidence in the fact pattern to bring charges, but generally speaking, such people should be prosecuted for criminal fraud - especially considering the amount of money changing hands here, and how badly some of these unsuspecting collectors were getting burned.

Imagine if you got your hands on one of those microscopes and looked at all these so-called SS daggers with numbers punched into the hilt. I can guarantee that some and maybe lots are punched post war.

Where there is money involved you can guarantee that there will be some dodgy practices going on.

Love your youtube videos on outing despicable dealers and forgers in the hobby. Luckily I do not collect helmets, I have enough issues dealing with fakes in the SS cloth part of the hobby. So as I understand it, these fake decals are just painted on the helmet rather than being a transfer like a normal decal? If this would be the case wouldn't it be easy to spot as you would not have the outer edge of a normal decal to see when examining a helmet? When ever i look at a decal on a helmet I can most times see the outer lip or separation of that transfer to the helmet. Just trying to get some clarification on this. Can't wait to hear what Kelly has to say about all of this.

@hammer844

2 жыл бұрын

A properly applied decal without a factory lacquer top finish is flush down on the helmet almost as if it is painted on. None of the Champagne fakes ever had a lacquer finish. The lacquer finish is what gives decals that “edge”, not the decal itself and lacquer was not used on many applications.

This interview series is the best you've done so far. I still think that helmets should be certified as authentic, Taking in all aspects like microscopic analysis, peer review, provenance, etc. Done by an independent panel.

it's a tough hobby. You'll take a few expensive bumps and bruises along the way if not extremely cautious. I'm out now after 20 years of TR collecting but it was fun.

Where is Part 4?

Hi, I am a collector in your area in the old world. We should get in touch. Jacques

I have a question anything made by German military has a date on them? Weird last name to be collecteing NSDAP stuff

Now I'm worried about my own helmet.

@hammer844

2 жыл бұрын

Post it on German Helmet Walhalla.

He should do a book on helmets if he hasn't already.

Ever wonder where all them naughty nazi movie helmets went to after the movie was over, now we know.

Does this guy sell a DIY book?

watch it on x1.5 playback speed

Show off some of your collection!

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

No

@danield7510

2 жыл бұрын

@@militariareview208 Thats fair, thanks for the videos

@militariareview208

2 жыл бұрын

@@danield7510 Dan email me and I will shoot you some photos, just not a public thing I like to do

@crimsonreaper6613

2 жыл бұрын

@@militariareview208 lol

Is he saying decal? What's a deckle??

@Adman-p4j

2 жыл бұрын

Both pronunciations are widely used. But I would side with your pronunciation and not deckle.

This is the reason I get "relic" helmets Ground dug I like the story behind them way more than a pristine helmet anyway

Dee-cal , not dec-ul

Did you censor my post ,,, it disappeared

Why do these people keep mispronouncing “Decal”? It’s pronounced “deee-kal” Not “dek-ull” Look it up

The interview leads you to believe all Champagne decals are fakes. Is that the case? Should all SS decals have white backgrounds? I think many beginning collectors may get confused.

@hammer844

2 жыл бұрын

Thats because all champagne decals are fakes because none are decals. Champagne “decals” are all painted fakes. Virtually all SS decals are on a silver background that photographs “white”.