gSpartan150 Posted 1 March , 2014 Share Posted 1 March , 2014 I recently bought what I believe to be a restored Doughboy helmet, but I'm not sure about the marking. The markings are: 216 7D Can someone help me with this? Thanks in advance, ~Garrett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War Truck Posted 2 March , 2014 Share Posted 2 March , 2014 Whereabouts did you find these markings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Haselgrove Posted 2 March , 2014 Share Posted 2 March , 2014 Hi Garrett, Welcome to the GWF. I presume you found the markings you ask about on the underside of the brim. The marking 216 is, I think, the "batch" or "heat" number of the steel. That enables the helmet shell to be identified as coming from a particular batch of steel. As to the 7D I can't help. It is, I believe, the mark identifying the manufacturer of the shell. There is a list(s) of the various manufactures of M-1917 helmet shells. I have tried to match up the markings on my small collection of M-1917 helmets but none of the initials, unlike the position with British helmets, bear any relation to the known manufacturers. In the circumstances, my guess is that a code system was used and I have never seen in anything I have read details of which manufacturer was allocated any given code(s). I shall be very interested if anyone can answer your question. Regards, Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Haselgrove Posted 2 March , 2014 Share Posted 2 March , 2014 Hi Garrett, Your question caused me to do a little research. I found this site www.worldwar1.com/dbc/helmet17. You will see that, according to the information provided, the other number appears to be a shipment number and does not identify the manufacturer. Regards, Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aef1917 Posted 3 March , 2014 Share Posted 3 March , 2014 The marking is 216 ZD. Close examination of thousands of m1917 helmets has led me to conclude that the US adopted a system for marking helmets based on the one used on British Mark I helmets. In this case, the steel supplier would be identified by the Z, the pressing contractor by the D and the heat of the steel by the 216. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out which letter corresponds to which pressing company yet. D is one of the more commonly-seen stamps though. The 216 heat number suggests a manufacture date somewhere between August and November, 1918. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gSpartan150 Posted 1 April , 2014 Author Share Posted 1 April , 2014 First off, thank-you everybody for the replies! The "7" may be a Z (just stamped odd), but I'm pretty-sure its a 7. My concern is that the helmet is in good shape, so I'd assume its a reproduction or some-sort of restoration. Thanks everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisL Posted 8 April , 2020 Share Posted 8 April , 2020 Does anyone know what company manufactured helmets with the “ZJ” marking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aef1917 Posted 9 April , 2020 Share Posted 9 April , 2020 J was assigned to Columbian Enameling and Stamping Co Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now