GdC out of the woodwork

Thanks RON. The liner was something that Turner, Laughlin, & Assoc. had on hand. They've got some original spare available for their client projects, including obscure and weird stuff like the little buckle that holds the leather portion of the chinstrap together. This was a vintage item that they used in the restoration. Cameron is very particular about using the period correct material for things like thread and also about replicating period stitching methods and patterns.

Mark D.

RON said:
Simply UNBELIEVABLE Mark!! Looks like a totally different helmet. =D>
You're right about the eagle's matte silver finish: I don't recall seeing these shine in period photos including ones of the Kaiser in his GDC uniform.
I see the Prussian Cockade has been replaced on the correct (right) side. I can't tell which of the cloverleaf/trefoil is repro anymore and I bet with time you won't either if you don't mark it somehow!
But where on God's earth were you able to find such a perfectly matching liner?! When they stitched it back, did they use old thread you think?
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That looks great! WELL DONE!
I think officer helmets tended to be a very thin (and springy) tombak, with the one piece neck guard. I'm sure others with more expertise in dating these than I could help you. As far as the thin silver goes, the first General a'la Suite I purchased had all of it rubbed off of the front of the wappen (eagle only, thank goodness), although it was intact on the back, so who knows what an over-enthusiastic owner will do once plating starts wearing off. In any case, SUPER HELMET and you should sit back and just be mesmerized by it for a while... that's what it's for! :)

:D Ron
 
I should send mine to them for restoration.. that looks great! Although, I suspect that my GdC officer helmet is one of the many converted from the 6th K into GdC because of two extra holes behind the Garde star... :-k (something I didn't know to look for thirty years ago when I purchased it from a fellow collector... chances are HE didn't know either.)

:D Ron
 
I am both impressed and jealous. Postcard look familiar however.

ps1662 by joerookery, on Flickr

A great portrait. Count Friedrich Hermann Heinrich Christian Hans zu Solms-Baruth (* 25. März 1886 in Schloss Klitschdorf, Provinz Schlesien; † 12. September 1951 in Windhoek, Namibia) was a member of German aristocracy during the Kaiserreich and had contacts to the organizers of the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on 20. Juli 1944.
 
Hi Joe,

Thanks for posting the photo and the interesting information about the Count. Is this a photo purloined from your collection?

When I first saw this photo portrait it made wonder what happened to this person. He looks young, thoughtful, and maybe not too warlike. The picture was probably taken shortly after he received his commission. He could have had no idea of what was about to hit him, his countrymen, and the rest of Europe. Now I know something about his fate. I wish I knew the full story. I'm sure it is interesting.

Cheers,

Mark D.

joerookery said:
I am both impressed and jealous. Postcard look familiar however.

ps1662 by joerookery, on Flickr

A great portrait. Count Friedrich Hermann Heinrich Christian Hans zu Solms-Baruth (* 25. März 1886 in Schloss Klitschdorf, Provinz Schlesien; † 12. September 1951 in Windhoek, Namibia) was a member of German aristocracy during the Kaiserreich and had contacts to the organizers of the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on 20. Juli 1944.
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Mark,

You can read this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1091843/Grandson-German-prince-helped-Valkyrie-plot-kill-Hitler-loses-bid-win-familys-6m-estate.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am pretty sure I bought this postcard from Sergio. Pretty nice helmet to say the least.
 
Very interesting story. I see the count became a prince. The photo of the heavily bemedalled count in his later years was great to see. What an interesting life!

Mark D.

joerookery said:
Mark,

You can read this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1091843/Grandson-German-prince-helped-Valkyrie-plot-kill-Hitler-loses-bid-win-familys-6m-estate.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am pretty sure I bought this postcard from Sergio. Pretty nice helmet to say the least.
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This is most probably a wartime manufactured example. The helmet is not Tombac.. It is brass. Very thin but still very much stronger than tombac at this thickness..

It is not uncommon to find these GdC and 6th cuirassier officer helmets made brass sometimes finished with a gold wash.. and of steel which have been plated, with bronze/brass and finished with a gold wash.. In most cases the gold being soft is mostly polished off and only the underlying brass backup plating is left,, the remaining gold being found only behind the plate , under the spike and behind the cockades.
ON some of these steel helmets, where the steel has oxidised under the plated surface they sometimes have areas of pitting or bubbling. . If you look in Stubbs' book on 265,, You will see an officer Saxon Garde Rieter Helmet. I would bet that helmet is a late manufactured one. I would safely say that it is a helmet of plated steel with a gold wash as I have been describing.
It is nonsense to say that Only Tombac was ever used in the manufacture of GdC SgR and 6th K.
Also, These helmets in my own experience and I have seen several and own two, oddly enough.. are made in a heavier steel than the normal steel officer helmets,, the gauge of the metal is somewhere in the middle of say an other ranks cuirassier helmet and a regualrly found officer helmet. The other dead giveaway I find is the three part constructed neckguard.
Where as the thinner metal of the normal officer helmet neckguards are normally one single pressed part, stamped out to give the impression of 3 parts.

In saying this, I am not being derogatory regarding the helmet.. In fact I am just pointing out some interesting facts which make it much scarcer than the owner probably thought it was. I don't think it makes it any more valuable but as a point of discussion, it adds to it.

It would have been interesting to see if there were any gold wash remaining on the unrestored helmet. . If not, then it may have never had the gold wash.

It would be interesting to see any other members have any late manufactured helmet of they type I have just spoken of. and if so, Can they post some pics. If I can, I shall post pics of a fine 6th cuirassier officer helmet of wartime manuf.
 
I also meant to say, If the owner of this Garde du Corps helmet wishes to contact me I have an original officers trefoil which I am sure will match his one.
 
minihelmets said:
This is most probably a wartime manufactured example. The helmet is not Tombac.. It is brass. ...

Hi Minihelmets,

Thanks for this interesting information. It would be great to see photos of the type of helmets you mention.

It might look like brass in the photos, but my GdC helmet is definitely tombak. It had no traces of goldwash, which would have shown up in the restoration process.

For some reason, my PM's seem to be stuck in my outbox, but I'd like to communicate about the trefoil. You can reach me at [email protected].

Cheers,

Mark D.
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One interesting detail on my GdC is that the cape, or lobster tail, is pressed out of one piece made to look like three pieces. I've been told that a three piece construction is more typical for officer's helmets. One person told me that this less-common one-piece construction is a characteristic of a wartime produced example. Any opinions on this point?

Mark D.
 
Maple Creek said:
One interesting detail on my GdC is that the cape, or lobster tail, is pressed out of one piece made to look like three pieces. I've been told that a three piece construction is more typical for officer's helmets. One person told me that this less-common one-piece construction is a characteristic of a wartime produced example. Any opinions on this point?

Mark D.
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Both my GdC and private purchase E.M. 6th Kuerassier have this type of neck guard. I don't believe either is war time, but this type of construction would be lighter to wear by a few grams.. so maybe Adler or somebody else can shed more light on it.
I've not seen too many officer GdC's so, I always thought this was a private purchase option.

Ron
 
NO I don't believe the one piece neckguard or cape, is wartime . It is seen on both EMs and Officer helmets produced long before then.
Regarding the plated helmets.. I have a shell somewhere, which shows perfectly where the steel has oxidised and cast the plating, or where the plating has been polished off, and the metal steel has oxidised . Either way , the remains of the plating is plainly seen and shows where the cruciform of the spikebase and the Helmet plate proteced it. And yes it has a 3 part constructed neckguard.

Interestingly too, the trim is steel and the studs are brass all of which had a silver wash.

I must dig it out and send some pics alongside a good example of a plated officer helmet
 
Hi Chris, Thanks again for these interesting observations. There is some technical problem with our forum that's preventing me and possibly others from replying to personal messages. If you'd like to communicate directly with me, you'll need to drop me a line via email: [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Mark D.

minihelmets said:
NO I don't believe the one piece neckguard or cape, is wartime . It is seen on both EMs and Officer helmets produced long before then.
Regarding the plated helmets.. I have a shell somewhere, which shows perfectly where the steel has oxidised and cast the plating, or where the plating has been polished off, and the metal steel has oxidised . Either way , the remains of the plating is plainly seen and shows where the cruciform of the spikebase and the Helmet plate proteced it. And yes it has a 3 part constructed neckguard.

Interestingly too, the trim is steel and the studs are brass all of which had a silver wash.

I must dig it out and send some pics alongside a good example of a plated officer helmet
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The bemedalled giant to the left of this group is the then Leutnant Graf Friedrich zu Solms-Baruth. Taken after his 9 September 1911 award of the Life Saving Medal and before the introduction of the Gorget on 24 January 1912.

Regards
Glenn

solms.jpg
 
Nice photo Glenn; thanks for sharing!

The giant to the RIGHT in the photo you mean?
 
Fantastic photo! I love all those GdC helmets. Notice the matt silvered finish of the eagles. The look almost white. Over time the tended to get polished to a shiny finish.

I wonder what a Life Saving Medal is. Germany was at peace in 1911, so under what circumstances would a person do something to get a Life Saving Medal. Did Friedrich jump into a lake to save a somebody from drowning?

Maybe we should start a discussion thread on Heer Solms-Baruth. Interesting fellow...

This helmet at the start of the thread, by the way, is now in my father's collection. We did a little trade.

Mark D.

Glennj said:
The bemedalled giant to the left of this group is the then Leutnant Graf Friedrich zu Solms-Baruth. Taken after his 9 September 1911 award of the Life Saving Medal and before the introduction of the Gorget on 24 January 1912.

Regards
Glenn

solms.jpg
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