Please Note! Effective the 1st of March, for my authentication customers, we will now be using the XRFacts authentication service, which will include the full scientific scan as well as my personal authentication, for the temporary price of 140 USD (Until August 1st, 2010). This will include the energy wave readout and tamper proof certification of authentication. Please contact me for more information, or simply follow this link to the XRFacts, LLC website. Thank You for your support and happy collecting!
“XRFacts”… is a new authentication service I have helped to form, in partnership with a skilled technologist and a group of dedicated professionals from the Wilson History and Research Center, a Charitable Foundation dedicated to the authentication and preservation of historical artifacts from around the world.
I joined in this effort in order to come up with a solution which I believe will help cope with the ever-increasing quality and volume of counterfeit (fake) German helmets, which threaten to undermine the fun, passion and value we all enjoy as collectors.
Since I began offering an authentication service, I have observed that approximately 85% of the helmets sent to me for evaluation have been higher quality fakes. There are even fake Q pattern SS decals, Fake ET patterns, etc., and just by going with a visual evaluation is not going to be enough in the near future. Many of the collectors seeking my evaluations have also sought advice on getting their money back—sometimes thousands of dollars worth of loss. I ask myself what the effect of all these acts of fraud will have on the collecting community in general and the growth of new, upcoming collectors in particular. Without new collectors, there is no new energy; no place to rest our legacy. So this disturbing trend must come to a stop quickly and decisively.
XRFacts incorporates the application of X-ray Fluorescence technology in conjunction with my hands-on evaluations, bringing together empirical and traditional authentication methodologies. This combination will help deal with the fake threat in two ways:
a) Vastly improved authentications. The best fakes, including fake camouflage finishes in addition to fake decals and fake factory finishes, have an instantly discernable profile when scanned with XRF. When compared against the carefully assembled decal, paint, camo and steel database, the originality (or non-originality) of a piece becomes instantly obvious. In cases where antiquated materials are used, such as the Czech fakes produced in the early 1990s, traditional knowledge and expertise methods (always employed in every evaluation) are relied upon to complete the evaluation. In this manner, new cutting-edge fakes can be dealt with effectively.
b) A new provenance for collectors. A positive result of the reliability of this technology, coupled with the expansion of the secure database of known originals, is that a whole new baseline provenance is now possible for all original helmets. Using a tamper-proof certification document which can be linked to the “fingerprint” of the helmet in the database will eliminate the potential for fraudulent helmets and documentation to be passed along. This will be especially important when a collector wants to sell or trade a helmet in the future—whether to an advanced fellow collector or to a novice collector—the certification will be the proof of authenticity, and can be checked against the database for verification. Fakes will just not have this capacity for any kind of verification, and considering the value of the originals, will not be as much of a threat to our beloved hobby ever again.
The implementation of this new service will begin soon, near the time of the 2010 SOS. More information on a range of details will be available in the meantime. I appreciate your questions, so please feel free to contact me at kellyhicks@hotmail.com anytime. Kelly.
Kelly Hicks and Ludwig Baer, in a recent meeting, discuss the use of XRF technology in the authentication of helmets and helmet-related materials. Friedrichsdorf, Germany, 2010.
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"SS STEEL Inc." Offers collectors the opportunity to protect the value of their helmet collections or individual pieces through an array of authentication services. These services are provided by:
Kelly Hicks; A 40 year collector and established expert in the field of German helmets; the author of 4 reference books relating to the field of SS helmets including the acclaimed "SS Steel," and the 2005 release "SS helmets" with Michael D. Beaver.
For anybody involved in the collecting of original German helmets, it is no secret that values are on the rise. Helmet values/prices have continued to rise at a steady pace since the early days of collecting. In recent years, the values have attained significant levels and certain examples are known to command very nigh prices. Consequently, the field has been inundated with counterfeits and fakes. These forgeries vary in quality from the obvious to the not-so-obvious. The situation has grown to the point where helmet collecting has become something of a mine field. With startling frequency, there has occurred the instance of an unwary collector obtaining a helmet at considerable financial cost only to discover later that the helmet is not what he originally thought it was.
Protection of re-sale value. Re-salability and value is becoming dependant, to a large degree, upon the ability to verify the authenticity of the collectible item. With the number and high quality level of forgeries on the market, the collector may find himself in need of such ready verification of the authenticity of his item. Both for his own assurance and for the assurance of any potential buyer in the future, having a tamper-proof certificate from a noted or published expert in the field gives the collector a solid basis for obtaining insurance protection for his collection, and if necessary legal assistance. Moreover, the resale value of the piece is upheld and enhanced with an accompanying certificate. Protect your investment and protect the future of the hobby.
As important as sports memorabilia, where a certificate means everything, a
certificate of authenticity provides a basis for the provenance and re-sale
value of your helmet. Unlike the sports memorabilia collecting arena, there is
currently no ongoing support from government, state or local anti-fraud or
other enforcement agencies. Nor does an international body exist to protect
collectors, with the possible exception of Interpol, whose primary focus is
art. This leaves militaria collectors with limited options for recourse to
recoup losses from dishonest dealers and helmet forgers.
Contact E-mail: kellyhicks@hotmail.com
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