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Hermit

Hermit

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Hi guys,
Just joined and saying hello.
I have this pickelhaube and was wondering how genuine it is.and if so any advice on keeping it from deteriorating any further.
I have always wanted one of these amazing pieces since I was a child, now I’m 50 I finally have one 😀
Thanks in advance Kirst
 

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I think your Helmet is all original. It, as you may already know, is a Prussian M1895 Enlisted Man. It is regimentally marked to the 3rd Infantry Regiment and dated 1898. Everything looks to be in line with your Helmet, only thing I cannot say for sure on is the Chinstrap. I also think that the hook and string holding on the Wappen (front plate) is an older add on, as I think they should be leather wedges. There should also be a disk in the dome where the spike is. Overall, it is a sound piece. Congratulations on your first Helmet.
 
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Kaiser Wilhelm II said:
I think your Helmet is all original. It, as you may already know, is a Prussian M1895 Enlisted Man. It is regimentally marked to the 3rd Infantry Regiment and dated 1898. Everything looks to be in line with your Helmet, only thing I cannot say for sure on is the Chinstrap. I also think that the hook and string holding on the Wappen (front plate) is an older add on, as I think they should be leather wedges. There should also be a disk in the dome where the spike is. Overall, it is a sound piece. Congratulations on your first Helmet.
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thanks for your reply, I wasn’t sure about the chin strap as it does seem a little thin,
I just need to make sure that the liner doesn’t deteriorate any further.
 
Hi Hermit,
The helmet looks original, but imo the marking of 3. J.R. means it started out as a Bavarian helmet, no Prussian unit with that name existed in 1898.
For the holes for the eagle I would expect grommets, not slits, but maybe Bavaria did things differently?
Regards,
Lars
 
Lars13 said:
Hi Hermit,
The helmet looks original, but imo the marking of 3. J.R. means it started out as a Bavarian helmet, no Prussian unit with that name existed in 1898.
For the holes for the eagle I would expect grommets, not slits, but maybe Bavaria did things differently?
Regards,
Lars
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Thanks 👍 I’m here for this very reason too try and learn as much as possible, all the info I am getting is brilliant 👍
 
Yes, I overlooked that detail. The helmet is regimentally marked to the 3rd Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment "Prinz Karl von Bayern" Meaning that your helmet should indeed have a Bavarian plate. That would explain why the Patina on the Wappen and spike seem slightly inconsistent. Glad someone corrected that.

So the plate should look like this.
1714493978290.png
 
Steve Nick said:
If it is indeed Bavarian in origin then I suspect that the mounting loops on the Prussian Wappen have been removed and re-soldered to fit the narrower mounting holes in the Bavarian shell.
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There are two possibilities, these being that the helmet is Bavarian, and your hypothesis is most likely correct, or the stamp is incorrect for whatever reason. I suspect that you are probably correct, because IMO the stamp looks good, and I do not believe it would be marked wrongly when made. An interesting situation.
 
Welcome H, great to have you join us! Excellent helmet with good markings, I have never seen them ink stamped up along the rim of the shell before and I have been collecting 40+ years, very cool indeed. Regarding your liner, these were made from vegetable tanned sheep skin and are notorious for tearing, drying and flaking. Many are completely rotted out and gone after 100 years. I don't advise trying to treat this liner with any modern leather product, just leave it as is.
The size of the helmet as marked, is 55 cm. I believe your chin strap to be original judging from the fine brass buckles, and good patina. Many of these were made with thin leather as the Germans experienced a leather shortage. Repro buckles are thicker and and have sharp square edges, originals like yours are finer and have rounded edges. Again, it is common for these straps to be broken or completely gone. Originals sell for $250+US so keep that in mind. Regarding the ink stamp markings not matching the helmet plate....check the back of this Prussian plate for the loops having been re soldered to fit the holes in the shell. It is also very unusual for any government issued helmet dated 1898 not to have brass grommets in the plate holes. Some observations.
 
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Hi and thank you,
Fantastic information about this 👌
I was planning on supporting the liner with padding of some sort whilst on display.
I have had a closer look at the inside and it seems to have been altered ? Maybe a coloured putty?
 

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Hermit said:
Hi and thank you,
Fantastic information about this 👌
I was planning on supporting the liner with padding of some sort whilst on display.
I have had a closer look at the inside and it seems to have been altered ? Maybe a coloured putty?
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Kirst, any attempt to repair it yourself will fail. Pieces of leather will remain in your hands. You need to have a lot of experience in such repairs, and there is still a 50% chance that the leather can be repaired. Cracks on the helmet are not a problem, but it is time-consuming.
Wojtek
 
H: Coloured putty may have been put there but the only sure way to check things out is to take off the plate, look at the shell beneath and examine the soldered loops to see if they have been moved. This small hook arrangement on the inside between the plate loops is also weird. They look like an old bungee cords?? Original wappen/plates are held on by leather wedges put through those loops. If you want to check out what original soldered loops look like, check out our wappen section here on the forum. A support for your delicate liner is a good idea, most of us support our helmets in order to take the weight off of the visors. Leaving the helmet weight on the visors causes the thread to rot and break over time.
 
I vote for the fact that the Kammer stamp for 3 J. R.is original and is NOT a Prussian helmet
but a Bavarian helmet for the 3rd I R
so first I would look for a brass Bavarian enlisted helmet front plate and put it on the helmet
Reach out here on the site to see if any members might have a spare plate to offer you
There are less Bavarian helmets
than Prussian ones
so you can look on that as a plus
also look for an original Bavarian enlisted kokard
it will be blue & white
then I think that you will be in business
Steve
 
KAGGR#1 said:
I vote for the fact that the Kammer stamp for 3 J. R.is original and is NOT a Prussian helmet
but a Bavarian helmet for the 3rd I R
so first I would look for a brass Bavarian enlisted helmet front plate and put it on the helmet
Reach out here on the site to see if any members might have a spare plate to offer you
There are less Bavarian helmets
than Prussian ones
so you can look on that as a plus
also look for an original Bavarian enlisted kokard
it will be blue & white
then I think that you will be in business
Steve
Click to expand...
 
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