Mecklenburg M95 helmet
- Thread starter USN
- Start date
The pins also look wrong so basically all this is, is a shell with a potentially real spike which doesn't belong with the plate and then the wappen, but the question still stands would this helmet be worth the time and restoration? I don't know how expensive Mecklenburg parts can get.
poniatowski
Well-known member
I don't know what Meck. wappens go for either. The shell looks like it's cracked on the left side and is pretty dirty. You never know when parts will come up for sale (is the back spine present?). If I were looking at this and it was a reasonable price I'd probably buy it. Unless there are some markings somewhere on the shell, you can't be certain the wappen belonged to the helmet, although it looks like it does. There's a Hessian Wappen at Age of Kings for $250, so that might give you a bit of an idea. I think the Meck. is more rare, but the Hessian at AOK is in excellent condition, so similar???
If the price is right, it's worth getting the wappen. As far as restoration goes, personally, I'd go for it. Nothing to lose and it might be fun as well as helping you gain experience in conservation, if you're not already a pro.
Ron
If the price is right, it's worth getting the wappen. As far as restoration goes, personally, I'd go for it. Nothing to lose and it might be fun as well as helping you gain experience in conservation, if you're not already a pro.
Ron
There is no rear spine and as far as I can tell no marks, its just a shell, visor trim and an incorrect spike, its for sale at 225 dollars and the only reason I'm considering it is because I know Mecklenburg is a scarce state to find things from. Also I already have a few projects I'm currently working on so do I really want a 4th or 5th project helmet haha
Personally, I would let it rest in peace. This is beyond restoration: a complete rebuild with almost unfindable parts: visors of the right size (!), liner... even if you manage to put something together, it will just be a patchwork of unrelated parts with very limited collector and resale value... satisfaction would be probably short-lived.
Valid point, i suppose it might still be worth it just to have the wappen.
ww1czechlegion
Well-known member
Yes, Bruno is spot on correct.
The liner would probably also need to be replaced in the helmet if a person was going to do what some might call a full "restoration", as well as adding front and back visors. There's not much left to the liner in the helmet as it is seen.
So a person would need a "donor" liner that would fit the helmet shell size, plus both "donor" front and rear visors, and probably a new back spine since at the very least the lower section of the back spine is clearly missing from this helmet, unless it is bent upwards and one cannot see it in the 4-very limited view photos of the helmet. (there must be part of it still present, since the split brads are seen inside the helmet shell photo.) And will the current front visor trim fit perfectly to a new "donor" leather front visor? And to find a back spine that fits exactly to match the new donor rear visor? It's a bit like playing the lottery with trying to match up sizes on these parts. Not impossible, but a true "headache" so to say. Brian knows all about this, and so do I from trying to match front visor trim pieces on helmets with broken or missing front visor trim pieces, and messed up or missing back spines. A person can quickly end up with a supply of parts that don't fit the helmet, and the expense of buying all those parts that don't work on a helmet.
I actually had a correct M95 Mecklenburg spike that would have worked on this helmet, which I sold to James a few years back for use on his much nicer Mecklenburg helmet.
Best Regards,
Alan
ww1czechlegion
Well-known member
It would basically be what I call a "Frankenstein" helmet made up of various donor parts. As Bruno says "a complete rebuild" and "with very limited collector and resale value."
You need to start to collect wappen.....buy it for the parts! Wappen, spike, visor trim, M91 posts. Show me where it is and I'll buy it. The wappen alone is worth $225. If you buy it, I will buy the wappen from you and the rest is free for your parts box. 
As Alan says when you look at something like this, you have to be practical, you can't save this!
As Alan says when you look at something like this, you have to be practical, you can't save this!
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ww1czechlegion
Well-known member
You need to start to collect wappen.....buy it for the parts! Wappen, spike, visor trim, M91 posts. Show me where it is and I'll buy it. The wappen alone is worth $225. If you buy it, I will buy the wappen from you and the rest is free for your parts box.
I just bought it Brian. I'd been in contact with the seller yesterday.
I bought it for the parts. It's not worth the headache or time or money needed to make a frankenstein restoration of it, in my opinion.
Well Will, a lesson learned....we all have stories of buying indecision and the consequences. Three years ago at the SOS I dithered over spending $600US for a JR 109 OR's wappen. Twenty minutes of waffling and then I went back.....GONE!! Now I have to try and winkle this Meck out of Alan's clutches!! I already owe him $ on a certain Hessen helmet. You will soon get an eye for what is a parts helmet and what can be saved with a bit of minor repair.
I already owe him $ on a certain Hessen helmet. You will soon get an eye for what is a parts helmet and what can be saved with a bit of minor repair.I suppose so haha can't win em all. Good luck getting your parts!Well Will, a lesson learned....we all have stories of buying indecision and the consequences. Three years ago at the SOS I dithered over spending $600US for a JR 109 OR's wappen. Twenty minutes of waffling and then I went back.....GONE!! Now I have to try and winkle this Meck out of Alan's clutches!!