Help with identifying pickelhaube helmet

[Lakeshore]

Wondering if anybody can help with any details about this find. I believed it to be a Bavarian EM M1915 Pickelhaube, but I admit, I don't have a lot of knowledge with it. So any insight to this helmet would be greatly appreciated. Looks like a J R 897 is imprinted on the bill, not sure if this is the infantry number.

 

[Kaiser Wilhelm II]

You are correct that it is a 1915 EM, Bavarian helmet, in decent shape, however it has some issues. For one, the Reichskockarde, (Cockade on the Right) looks like a fake, and as for the left, it may or may not be original, but is not Bavarian and not original to the helmet. It should be blue and white. Lastly the Chinstrap is earlier than this helmet, but appears to be original. I do not know much of the inner markings, I'm sure someone else will be able to tell you however. This is just basic info, the much more knowledgeable folks on here will for sure tell more.

 

[CLOVIS 57]

Good evening,

on the whole, I agree with Le Kaiser. The Cockade are copies, and I have big doubts about the chinstrap. We need a close-up of the stitching behind the brass loops. The black liner shows an M96 (for Bavaria) transformed into an M16 (for Bavaria). Apart from the italicized R for Réserve, the marking tells me nothing.

 

[Lakeshore]

Guys, Thanks for all your help!! Much appreciated.

 

[Amybellars]

The marking should be the year marked as 1897

Sorry but I don't like the chinstrap.

 

[HatEnjoyer]

I don't know if this observation is of any value because I'm not really a pickelhaube collector and I've never studied their components in detail, but the leather strap on our friend's helmet doesn't fill out the space in the metal chinstrap end like an original strap would.

 

[CLOVIS 57]

Thanks for the photo,

sorry but it's a reproduction. The real ones are never flat but slightly convex. And the axle is always offset to the rear. Likewise, the stitching is always perfect and the axle is held securely by the leather buckle.

Below: cast bronze chinstrap loop:


Below is an embossed brass loop, the corners are deburred, nice honed finish:


Never cut from brass plate.
NB. The end of the fold around the axis is not in the right direction on yours.

 

[Kaiser Wilhelm II]

I don't know if this observation is of any value because I'm not really a pickelhaube collector and I've never studied their components in detail, but the leather strap on our friend's helmet doesn't fill out the space in the metal chinstrap end like an original strap would.

That simply means that the chinstrap is too big for this helmet or not tightened properly. That would really not be an issue, as you see that In originals with replaced chinstraps somewhat often. Good observation however.