A RARE German army helmet was among the items damaged when a car drove into Dave Wright Militaria on Saturday night.
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Mr Wright said the $2800 pickelhaube, from about 1900, was crushed in the crash.
Its rim was broken and the emblem on the front was knocked out of place.
“The problem with my stuff is that it’s historic,” said Mr Wright.
“I haven’t finished going through cabinets that were pushed over, so I’ll find some more damage when I do that,” he said.
Minor damage to the historical items can render them worthless to collectors.
The car’s driver, who the The Courier has decided not to identify, ran through the back wall of Mr Wright’s Shepperd Street shop.
He escaped unhurt.
He has said a possible cause was the car’s cruise control, which was paused as he came into town, restarting as he tried to drive into the automatic car wash on Mair Street.
Mr Wright said it was a shock, but was “glad to see that the old fella was all right”.
Police will test the car’s cruise control claim in the coming days.