Original WWII Italian M33 Helmet with Period-Applied Chicken Wire with Correct Soldered Twists & Partial Size 59 Liner - Very Rare

Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. The M33 Helmet (Elmetto Mod. 33 in Italian) is a steel combat helmet designed in the 1930s in Italy, and was the standard combat helmet of the Regio Esercito up to World War II, and of the Esercito Italiano well into the Cold War. Designed by Nicola Leszl for the Mussolini Government, these have become extremely hard to find on the collectors market today, especially WWII examples that have not been refurbished.

This is a very intriguing example of an M33 helmet which has great period-applied chicken wire around it. Chicken wire on period helmets is often a minefield due to how often they are reproduced, but there are several ways to verify it as being period done and not added later. The chicken wire on this helmet is correctly soldered at all of the twists to keep it in place, with additional soldering added to the underside of the rim where it all meets and ties together. The wear and age of the chicken wire appears to match that of the helmet, so we do believe this to have been period done. We have never seen an example of an M33 helmet with chicken wire before, making this a very unique example.

One side of the helmet has a different colored wear to one spot suggesting that there may have been a decal or insignia there at one point. There is very heavy wear to the exterior paint overall with oxidation in spots.

The original leather liner is now extremely torn apart and away with little of the original material remaining. There is a size perforation in the leather, 59. The leather chinstrap is gone. There is a stamp under the rear rim but it is too worn to read.

A very interesting chicken wired M33 helmet, ready for further research and display.