Bargain Pickelhauben

911car

Well-known member
Last week-end took place in Soissons, France, a large auction of French, German, and British WW1 militaria. Most of you are probably aware. There was a collection of German headgear, including many uncleaned, well-marked Pickelhauben in "as-found", often average (or less) condition. Price range was interesting (in $ equivalent, including auction fees). No regular Prussian M15 was to be obtained for less than $ 1100/1200, and significantly more if a ball was present instead of a spike. Prices jumped to the $-2000+ range for Guard M15s, not to mention Baden, Saxony, Wuertemberg M15s that also fetched high prices. EM M95s followed the same trend, basic Prussians being commonly paid around $ 1500. As of more desirable EM M95 models, an FR90 (Mecklenburg) helmet went for $ 4000, and a 92R with the skull plate for about $ 11000...
No clear decline in Pickelhaube values!
 
Thanks to Michael (Snaffles) I found this auction online and bought something I really:love: needed. Just paid for it and feeling very happy. Wappen prices seemed very reasonable to me - but then, I don't get out much.
 
Thanks again for the tip Michael, getting that wappen was pretty much a 'Finding Bigfoot' moment for me. MY wife just smiled when I got it - hmmm, not too sure how to interpret that. The search goes on, for a rear spine!
 
Hi Steve, got a very good gilt M95 Prussian Dragoon with upswept wings for my restoration project. I think cheap at €185.
Steve.
 
Thank you gentlemen, I count myself lucky indeed. Luckier still to have friends here on a great educational forum.
Steve
 
I, too, looked at that auction and figured it was a little out of my league. However, I'm glad someone from our forum found something needed and got it at a reasonable price. I look forward to seeing your project when you are finished.
Best regards,
John
 
Hi Steve, got a very good gilt M95 Prussian Dragoon with upswept wings for my restoration project. I think cheap at €185.
Steve.
I quit before they auctioned spike helmet plates, but I saw they had a very nice selection thereof.
Congratulations, Steve
 
Thank you Bruno. Whoever the collector was had very good taste. At some point all of our collections might end up like this on auction. I would love to watch my own be auctioned off after I die, but I would be dead which complicates it somewhat.
 
I followed the whole sale online too...But do not participate by principle to those crazy prices bidding...
The JR92 helmet (10000 Euro) went to P.M., a young french guy native from Reims, "modern historian", who works very hard in the social-medias for the publicity of his discutables "actions" (illegal opening of the Winterberg Tunnel, near Craonne, with more than 200 live buried german soldiers of the III/RJR111, 4.5.17). Friend of W. Putin, G. Depardieu, JM Le Pen, he lives in Moskow since 2017..He is the same guy who was part of the french-russian team that has found 2019 in Smolensk the sepulture of the french General Charles-Etienne Gudin De la Sablonnière, k.i.a during the napoleonic war at the battle of Walutina Gora. He has been decorated by Putin, because he also found in France some sepultures of russians soldiers of the expeditionary corps, 1914-18.

Money is not his big problem, as he said to me, he only wanted to possess such a helmet, a dream since he was a kid. No matter for him if the Brunswick cockade on this helmet was an excavation piece (not original to helmet) and if the original chinstrop has been removed by a nicer looking one... He also wants to buy soon a gravel pit near Berry au Bac from the french state and to transform it exactly how it was 1914-15.

The seller of those helmets, M.L. is also well known in the french collectors scene. He had some good stuff in his collection, but he also owned and sold regularly on ebay FR some very dubious things...

Before pict, how the JR92 helmet was found, for a few years, without cockades and with another chinstrap:

mali.jpg

After pict, how the helmet was sold in Soissons:

mali1.jpg

The excavation BS cockade:

mali2.jpg



Philippe
;)
 
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Bruno could you post a link? I did not know of this auction, but am curious to see what Wappens they had.
Tony
Here are some of the wappen. I have the catalogue so will try and post more when I get time tomorrow.
Michael
 

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Last week-end took place in Soissons, France, a large auction of French, German, and British WW1 militaria. Most of you are probably aware. There was a collection of German headgear, including many uncleaned, well-marked Pickelhauben in "as-found", often average (or less) condition. Price range was interesting (in $ equivalent, including auction fees). No regular Prussian M15 was to be obtained for less than $ 1100/1200, and significantly more if a ball was present instead of a spike. Prices jumped to the $-2000+ range for Guard M15s, not to mention Baden, Saxony, Wuertemberg M15s that also fetched high prices. EM M95s followed the same trend, basic Prussians being commonly paid around $ 1500. As of more desirable EM M95 models, an FR90 (Mecklenburg) helmet went for $ 4000, and a 92R with the skull plate for about $ 11000...
No clear decline in Pickelhaube values!
Bruno, can I know the name of the auction house?

Thank you
 
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