spikeymikey
Member
I received an OVMS Show report from Chas today and I thought some of what he said about it may be of interest.
Take it away, Chas:
Hi Mike:
The OVMS Wilmington Show was as expected; roughly one
quarter the size of the Show of Shows with several
empty tables and sparse attendance (mainly old
geezers). There was a fair amount of Imperial German
goods, and most of it was sensibly priced. I saw a
total of five helmets, but none were of lasting
interest to me. These consisted of a Line Infantry
Preußen M15, Baden Infantry M15, Preußen Artillery M95
(marked FAR 56), and a Preußen Kürassier M15 (with a
static chromed spike!). The fifth was a Baden Dragoon
Reserve Offizier's helmet that was a total write-off.
The silver Griffin had a blank bandau, but the
reservist cross was missing, the chinscales were
fragments, and the top of the Haarbusch (yes, it once
had one) was gone. The whole thing looked as though
it was pulled from a compost heap. Even for parts, I
thought $750.00 was too much for the seller to ask.
I purchased a matched set of unissued 48 mm Preußen
Kokarden for $75.00, but the bonus, which made an even
greater impression, was the wax paper envelope they
were wrapped in. Though not correct for Infantry
Helmkokarden, I believe this envelope was the original
packaging for Kürassier or JzP Offizier Kokarden.
My Mannschaften JzP Kokarden measure precisely 65 mm.
It stands to reason Offizier Kokarden would be
slightly larger to accommodate a silvered ring. The
manufacturer, F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid
later manufactured Third Reich awards and was assigned
Leistungsgemeinschaft der Deutschen Ordenherrsteller
(LDO) number L/64.
Whether Assmann also manufactured single piece
Kokarden of all dimensions and color schemes may be
impossible to determine. Perhaps they only
manufactured the silver rings and performed final
assembly of three piece Kokarden. The attached
picture is of the envelope with 65 mm Kokarden
providing scale.
Take it away, Chas:
Hi Mike:
The OVMS Wilmington Show was as expected; roughly one
quarter the size of the Show of Shows with several
empty tables and sparse attendance (mainly old
geezers). There was a fair amount of Imperial German
goods, and most of it was sensibly priced. I saw a
total of five helmets, but none were of lasting
interest to me. These consisted of a Line Infantry
Preußen M15, Baden Infantry M15, Preußen Artillery M95
(marked FAR 56), and a Preußen Kürassier M15 (with a
static chromed spike!). The fifth was a Baden Dragoon
Reserve Offizier's helmet that was a total write-off.
The silver Griffin had a blank bandau, but the
reservist cross was missing, the chinscales were
fragments, and the top of the Haarbusch (yes, it once
had one) was gone. The whole thing looked as though
it was pulled from a compost heap. Even for parts, I
thought $750.00 was too much for the seller to ask.
I purchased a matched set of unissued 48 mm Preußen
Kokarden for $75.00, but the bonus, which made an even
greater impression, was the wax paper envelope they
were wrapped in. Though not correct for Infantry
Helmkokarden, I believe this envelope was the original
packaging for Kürassier or JzP Offizier Kokarden.
My Mannschaften JzP Kokarden measure precisely 65 mm.
It stands to reason Offizier Kokarden would be
slightly larger to accommodate a silvered ring. The
manufacturer, F. W. Assmann & Söhne of Lüdenscheid
later manufactured Third Reich awards and was assigned
Leistungsgemeinschaft der Deutschen Ordenherrsteller
(LDO) number L/64.
Whether Assmann also manufactured single piece
Kokarden of all dimensions and color schemes may be
impossible to determine. Perhaps they only
manufactured the silver rings and performed final
assembly of three piece Kokarden. The attached
picture is of the envelope with 65 mm Kokarden
providing scale.
