Scott on my screen the liner pads look gray, if so to my understanding, these helmets with this color pads are a little on the rare side. You can post it over on War Relics Forum and let AndyM35 take a look at it, he collects WW1 German lids and knows his stuff.                 Bill

Does this bandage look too new to be original, or was there some well preserved German NOS?  

This was an odd find...   Source:   https://onthesquareemporium.com/product/reproduction-fur-kriegs-verdien-1939-medal/   For Reference:   https://www.warsendshop.com/products/fur-kriegsverdienst-1939-medal   http://www.germandocuments.com/Medals_and_Pins.html  

The shape of the blade and the two groves on it are very reminiscent of the Collins bowies. Also the serial number may actually be a model number and the No. at the beginning would indicate it was made by someone speaking English. Collins made many special order knives not in their catalog and also supplied blades to others. If you look at the book Collins Machetes and Bowies 1845-1965 you will see many similar knives. I would guess that Collins made at least the blade if not the whole knife but for who is anybody's guess, the pommel appears to be a dragon so maybe someone in Asia.

I will have to double check and see if there is black under the blue or if its just rust. There is no doubt it was period done, it came out of a very old museum collection and it went to them from a very old American Legion post, it has never been in private hands. Thank you, Scott

Very nice grouping

That is quite interesting.  It looks period done.  In some spots it looks like the blue was applied over the black, but it could just be the photos.   

There is a great thread on another forum about them, I think its warrelics but not totally sure. At any rate, this is also the first one I have ever seen.   Scott

Neat!  This is the first one of these helmets with a "follow me" marking I have seen.    

Someone else's 2 cents. Badge on right most likely a silver wound badge.  The one on left most likely the Infantry Assault badge ... Fallschirm?  If he boots were not bloused I would say probably not, but maybe 🙂

To add a few words, I don't think this was German and really don't believe English origin.  The configuration of the blade ... after countless views - seems to me to be "Bowie shaped." This suggests that it was a commercial piece.  The provision of serial number placement - but not having one, is strange.  The sheath & keeper are typical med. to hi-end goods of the mid to late 19th century.  Seems to me that it probably was "put together," but by whom and so well done, why not marked?  When I posted this I was hoping for someone "out there" to cite an identical piece they had.  But didn't happen...  But may come to fruition?

To tell if it is a real photograph you will  have to look at it with a loupe. If the picture is made up of tiny dots (or sometimes dashes) it is what is known as a half tone and was printed on a printing press. These were produced by the thousands and are the most common. If there are no dots and has shades of gray it is what is known as a continuous tone and is a photograph. This does not mean it is a one off only that it was harder to make and more expensive. If the back is printed as a postcard then there are many more of them out there, better than a half tone but still quite common. If the back is blank and on card stock then it is probably a souvenir given out or sold at rallies or parades, better than a post card but still common. If it is a photograph on photographic paper then you have a very limited run or maybe even a one off, the trick is to find unpublished pictures.