Produced by an unknown maker, the U.S. 1917 directly follows the British Mark I "Brodie" helmet, serving as America's primary helmet from World War I until 1942, when the two-piece M1 became the standard. This example has been elaborately painted, with the front of the crown featuring a well rendered image of a screaming eagle carrying an American flag in a shield. The flag appears to be the 48-star pattern in use from 1912-1959. The remainder of the surface is covered in a wild pattern of geometric shapes in a variety of greens, blues, gold, orange and red, with thick black border lines, which appears to draw inspiration from patterns used on the early model German Stahlhelm of WWI to break up the profile of the helmet, though taken to a more extreme/artistic degree. In one of the shapes is the initials "AEF", possibly standing for American Expeditionary Force. The interior shows a multi-piece liner and a faded maker's label inside the crown.

The exterior is fine, with a few scuffs and scratches on the paint, a small number of touch ups on top of the crown, and mild wear overall. The interior is good, with cracking and tearing of the leather components.