Search results

Thank you all for your appreciation!

I saw it, but too late. Bummer. It was THE headgear at Weitze's this week. The tag, hand-written in French, says "Found on a farm after the Marne battle". Any link with the Marne battle would not make sense since the first battle was in September 1914, and the second one in 1918.

Thanks to you all for your appreciation. Here are some detailed views. Finding an original cockade is extremely difficult.

According to Didier Laine, higher-quality officer Tschapkas were frequently built like this, from several pieces. Here is another one, for GUR2.

For comparison

I like some or much patina, as we all do, but sometimes this is how they come...

A much coveted helmet indeed, Kris. Here is another one (or should I write THE other one?...).

This one had been advertised on the forum, a long time ago.

I know of this helmet at that auction, and I know the lion was a copy, but I am not sure I understand what happened: did it sell for 8000?... did the auctioneer confess the lion was a copy?

Even the bird looks upset to be there.

You can, Charles! Congratulations. A friend of mine in Europe owns a spectacular collection of GR helmets and their cats and knows everything about those. The rarest find is the lion alone (and finding the lion in feldgrau version is even more challenging!..).

In sum, the only Hessian regiment sporting the enameled star with swords and stars, from mid-1915 on, was DR23.

My bad! Henri the Lion was of course for Braunschweig... got confused with the Hessen Lion. Sorry.

Cockades are also copies, but the felt is intact, not torn, which is a very good point. The hat deserves some reshaping on a millinery block and addition of period cockades and chinstrap. It would look really good then. The front plate is ill-fitting but this can be easily corrected.

Below, DR23 or DR24 (same helmet) officers, Jeff. Active and reserve.

But yours obviously do, Steve.

And a NCO/eigentum busby covered in bearskin. Fur is distinctively fluffy.

Here is one more example of seal skin on a genuine M15 Prussian busby. You usually find them in this condition, with hair losses. This one was for sale at a SOS meeting.

Here is FAR25 in the 1915 version, as you know. The enameled star is the same as at IR115, with swords added. Note the retaining studs, and the Perlring, only present on artillery helmets in Hessen... kind of confusing.

Brian, as far as I know, all Hessian artillery officer helmets bore stud retainers, and not stars. Even at AR25 in the 1915 configuration with the Henri the Lion enameled star and swords.