Kelly Militaria - Dear friends, I have added SS sticker identification documents and some video links on the Authentication page. Look at it! I appreciate your suggestions for future video topics. Sincerely, Kelly You can see my first SS-VT transition video by following this link: and a video on the M35 Waffen-SS helmet at this link:   …

This year's show was really great. I've been to 20 of them and this one had the best level of activity I've seen. Not only were the dealers and collectors talking, but the crowd was larger than usual and the helmets were outstanding! Be quiet…

Kelly Militaria

Kelly Militaria

Dear friends, January has gone by so fast and here is my early February update. Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter, which comes out every month with the latest news. Thanks! Kelly

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New website launched. Commemorating the start of something else, December 16, 1944. I hope you enjoy the new and improved SS-STEEL website. Merry Christmas everyone - We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And after the new year, 2020 will start a new season with our favorite…

All media on this site are copyrighted by SS Steel, LLC, 2020 - 2021. All material on this site is accompanied by a guarantee of availability. trust me. For information on anything please contact us at kellyhicks@hotmail.com

This website is dedicated to researchers, archivists and collectors of historical military memorabilia. This page has nothing to do with any political ideology, especially hatred or intolerance. Any visitor to this site does so with the understanding that it is for historical collection and research purposes only as described above. Kelly Hicks, best known for his expertise on SS helmets, has written five books on the subject. He was the first person to authoritatively identify - in print - several common patterns of early SS decals and make the connection between the decal and the helmet manufacturer who used each specific type. Pioneering research has led to an increase in detailed knowledge for collectors who are now more confident in acquiring the more expensive and rarer SS helmets.

We all work together. In an effort to report the state of the various aspects of the military collection market,

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We strive to find and share the ideas of popular hobby dealers and collectors. This month we had the privilege of speaking with Kelly Hicks, known to most as one of the world's leading experts and dealers in WWII artifacts, specializing in SS helmets.

Kelly has been a collector of militaria since 1964, author of 5 books on SS helmets since 1992, and global militia dealer since 2008. Kelly has been an officer in the US Army since 1979 to 2000 and lived overseas for about 14 years. those years. . He retired as a lieutenant colonel in the special forces. Now 16 years into his second career in the private sector, Kelly runs his website "SS-Steel-inc.com" (full LLC) in the evenings and on weekends.

Although Kelly offers a variety of military artifacts, he is best known for his expertise in SS helmets, having written five books on the subject. He was the first person to authoritatively identify - in print - several common patterns of early SS decals and make the connection between the decals and the helmet manufacturers who used each specific type. This pioneering research has led to an increase in detailed knowledge for collectors who are more confident in acquiring the more expensive and rarer SS helmets.

Kelly Militaria

With over 51 years of experience in buying, selling, trading and collecting, he has a keen sense of the hobby process. We are pleased to present his answers to "10 Questions About Collecting SS Hats".

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Military Salesperson: Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us. You are literally world famous for your skills in SS helmets. Let's start by asking a question we hear the most in our office: "With so many fake SS helmets out there, how do you advise a new collector to approach this side of militaria collecting?"

Kelly Hicks: First, let me thank you for the honor of having the opportunity to participate in this interview for your esteemed publication.

The best advice I can give to new collectors is, as I've said since my first book in 1992-3, "Know who you're buying from and make sure you have a reliable 'your money back, if there's a problem.'" Any honest person, including reputable dealers, will be willing to refund. Also read the books and get as much knowledge as possible. Seek knowledge from these advanced compiler.

Military Dealers: How do you differentiate the "typical" Third Reich helmet collector today? How has this person's behavior changed in thirty years?

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Kelly Hicks: I think the 'typical' collector these days is someone who has more research tools at their disposal, especially online. They have more information - instantly - to make decisions about what to buy. There is certainly a lot of material available on the internet and at exhibitions.

If I mean modern helmet collectors, I would say that they are more interested in things made from war, especially those related to historical events, such as Normandy, the Bulge, etc.

If I make a suggestion to the modern collector, I would advise them to explore the rich treasure of the former SS collection, from 1934 to 1939 .This scene includes many interesting helmets and uniforms that are constantly changing and adapting. …a wonderful area to enjoy!

Kelly Militaria

Military Companies: Investing in SS helmets can be important for everyone. What should a new collector do before buying an example?

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Kelly Hicks: I would say collectors should avoid looking at sites like Craigslist and the like where there are a lot of fakes. I get several authentication requests a week from collectors who want to buy this style - they are almost always fake, offered at prices too cheap to be true.

Today's online sellers are very careful about offering original equipment (hats) or they know they won't stay in business for long; so that collectors can buy from them with confidence and knowledge of their needs.

Of course, many sellers have high prices for SS items. New collectors should be aware that this is the case, otherwise they will spend a long time searching for "cheap SS hats" and may be misled in their quest to find a crappy example if they try the "Craigslist -route " them.

Military Dealer: Your company, SS Steel LLC, offers collectors the opportunity to protect the value of their helmets through a variety of services. Can you explain how this works?

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Kelly Hicks: I personally inspect and verify the helmets I sell and provide a COA with each purchase. Additionally, collectors bring me their helmets for verification and if they are authentic, I produce the appropriate COA. For years this has provided collectors with a "bargaining card" when selling their helmets. I do a lot for regular collectors. (A somewhat broader discussion of technical verification tools in this process is discussed below in the XRF question).

Military marketer: X-ray fluorescence (XRF) seemed like a revolutionary advance in the hobby, but it wasn't appreciated as quickly as it appeared. Can you tell us about the process and do you still use it today to check helmets?

Kelly Hicks: I appreciate the question. Basically, I no longer use XRF as one of my verification methods, even though it works great. I and many others are fans of this technology, which is used by museums and universities around the world for forensic analysis of inorganic materials; from stone to oil paint to porcelain to metal.

Kelly Militaria

Although it showed a lot of promise, especially the one I'm focusing on: the absolute determination of the structure of the helmet, opposition to the practice grew among some members of the community.

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There is a long story behind my involvement with XRF, but I'll skip the story and keep it short. My role was not technical. Instead, the helmet is like the last inspector for the visual hand, to make sure that the judgment of the machine is understood and corresponds to the visual expectations of having a decal. We had skilled technicians interpret the data from the helmet scan, analyze the data and compare and annotate it with the growing data from the original data scans from the famous examples especially.

The short history of XRF is disappointing. As we all know, social media can be very political and timely. Over time, negative stories about XRF have been carefully crafted and repeated; for the reasonable collector

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