For those of you who were watching this curiosity on live auctioneers here it is cleaned up a bit. I still can't believe how few people bid on this considering it was the featured helmet of the auction and the same auction sold a relatively dull looking paratrooper helmet for $25,000 (!) and a cardboard Nazi police hand traffic signal sold for the same price this helmet sold for. The universe seriously gifted me, I have a strictly low budget by metalhelm standards. The auction house misidentified this EM helmet as belonging to General Alfred Von Waldersee of the Franco Prussian war, even though he was dead long before WW1.
I surmise this helmet was possibly part of the Liberty bond drive, and an American entrepreneur decided to stamp Von Waldersee on the visor to make this the ultimate prize for the highest seller. I say this because Georg Von Waldersee was chief of staff of the 8th army very briefly in 1914, and is virtually unknown otherwise, or post war. This is my opinion. It's an odd choice of name to counterfeit considering it's length. However the bond drive didn't start until 1917 so it's definitely not an opinion based in fact, and could have been done later but the stamping is definitely very old. If someone wants to educate me to another possibility I'm more than willing to learn. If this is the reason no one else bid I'm more than happy to own it.
Examining several photos online of four almost identical J.P. 8 dated 1914/1915 helmets that always seem to be in very similar condition, it is safe to say these helmets stood out from all the rest because of the gold fittings and the average uneducated bond salesman in 1917/18 would have logically thought they were officer helmets in a sea of grey. Opening a box of prize helmets, these had to be like literally finding the golden ticket. I've always heard and thought most 1915 mehalhelms on the market were unissued, Liberty bond or NYC pyramid helmets from the Coblenz warehouse haul. I'm not sure if that's still the consensus because I'm not necessarily a helmet collector, I just own about a dozen of the essentials and have a couple more to go, but they're all usually in rough or fair condition. I'd say this is in reasonably good condition.
Anyway here's some pics of "Eerie Von Waldersee". Like many of these 1915 helms found in unkempt storage condition, this was in a NYC "collection", the helmet was completely covered in a layer of dried oil under fresh oil, which was eroding the finish so I gently removed it to reveal a slightly pitted surface which lightened the parkerized finish around the crown and front visor. It's a shame to see the contrast of the pristine surface under the spike and wappen, but at least I saved it's life and no matter what it's probably one of a kind. If I didn't get it for such a low price I probably wouldn't be too happy with this discovery because nothing was evident in the terribly lit listing. If anyone else has a "customized" helmet I'd love to see it!
It had a silver bolt on the spike base so I replaced it with one from a replica Kürassierhelm. Ironically my real 1889 kürassierhelm also has a period replaced mismatched stud as well. The stiff leather liner cord I added is holding up the saggy liner.
Needless to say I'm very happy to be the custodian of this beautiful specimen as long as I'm alive. It's definitely the star of my meager helmet collection.
I surmise this helmet was possibly part of the Liberty bond drive, and an American entrepreneur decided to stamp Von Waldersee on the visor to make this the ultimate prize for the highest seller. I say this because Georg Von Waldersee was chief of staff of the 8th army very briefly in 1914, and is virtually unknown otherwise, or post war. This is my opinion. It's an odd choice of name to counterfeit considering it's length. However the bond drive didn't start until 1917 so it's definitely not an opinion based in fact, and could have been done later but the stamping is definitely very old. If someone wants to educate me to another possibility I'm more than willing to learn. If this is the reason no one else bid I'm more than happy to own it.
Examining several photos online of four almost identical J.P. 8 dated 1914/1915 helmets that always seem to be in very similar condition, it is safe to say these helmets stood out from all the rest because of the gold fittings and the average uneducated bond salesman in 1917/18 would have logically thought they were officer helmets in a sea of grey. Opening a box of prize helmets, these had to be like literally finding the golden ticket. I've always heard and thought most 1915 mehalhelms on the market were unissued, Liberty bond or NYC pyramid helmets from the Coblenz warehouse haul. I'm not sure if that's still the consensus because I'm not necessarily a helmet collector, I just own about a dozen of the essentials and have a couple more to go, but they're all usually in rough or fair condition. I'd say this is in reasonably good condition.
Anyway here's some pics of "Eerie Von Waldersee". Like many of these 1915 helms found in unkempt storage condition, this was in a NYC "collection", the helmet was completely covered in a layer of dried oil under fresh oil, which was eroding the finish so I gently removed it to reveal a slightly pitted surface which lightened the parkerized finish around the crown and front visor. It's a shame to see the contrast of the pristine surface under the spike and wappen, but at least I saved it's life and no matter what it's probably one of a kind. If I didn't get it for such a low price I probably wouldn't be too happy with this discovery because nothing was evident in the terribly lit listing. If anyone else has a "customized" helmet I'd love to see it!
It had a silver bolt on the spike base so I replaced it with one from a replica Kürassierhelm. Ironically my real 1889 kürassierhelm also has a period replaced mismatched stud as well. The stiff leather liner cord I added is holding up the saggy liner.
Needless to say I'm very happy to be the custodian of this beautiful specimen as long as I'm alive. It's definitely the star of my meager helmet collection.
