A few years back this EXACT helmet was being offered by a dutch militaria web site. I know because I nearly purchased it. It was listed simply as a colonial pith helmet in the style of the French 'sugar loaf' of 1886, nationality unknown. It was offered for about 500$. It had no makers mark or evidence of ever having a wappen, helmet plate, cockade, etc, with the exception of the owners initials.
In any case it sat for a year or so and was eventually purchased by someone else. I just stumbled across it on another website, http://www.zuskosten.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, but with the NEW addition of an imperial German cockade and being sold as a 19th century German Sun Helmet for triple the price of $1600! To be clear, the original helmet did NOT have a cockade nor was ther a hole to suggest one was ever there. So, whether is French, German, Belgian, military, or civilian is unknown and it is has now been altered to appear as an authentic Colnial German Sun Helmet.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/535e6bc5e4b05d1feab6d739/t/5614f0b9e4b0003ea39021e8/1444212927670/Sun-Helmet-01.jpg?format=1500w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In any case it sat for a year or so and was eventually purchased by someone else. I just stumbled across it on another website, http://www.zuskosten.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, but with the NEW addition of an imperial German cockade and being sold as a 19th century German Sun Helmet for triple the price of $1600! To be clear, the original helmet did NOT have a cockade nor was ther a hole to suggest one was ever there. So, whether is French, German, Belgian, military, or civilian is unknown and it is has now been altered to appear as an authentic Colnial German Sun Helmet.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/535e6bc5e4b05d1feab6d739/t/5614f0b9e4b0003ea39021e8/1444212927670/Sun-Helmet-01.jpg?format=1500w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
