Maple Creek
Active member
This is a helmet that my father has owned since 1958. He found it in a flea market in Mexico City where he lived (Mexico City that is, not the flea market 
) There were two pickelehaubes and he just bought the one, but always regretted not getting both. He paid something like $25 for the piece, which was a lot for that time.
The helmet was not in great shape in 1958 and had deteriorated over time. The chinstrap and front trim were almost certainly replacements, probably plucked from another Mexican pickelhaube used as a parts helmet. The original kokarden were missing, replaced by Prussian NCO kokarden. This was probably something my father or I did 40 years ago, although we can't remember doing this. At any rate, the whole thing cried out for professional, careful, minimally bogus restoration. We sent the piece to Turner and Laughlin and it came back recently totally transformed. Thought you might enjoy seeing photos.
We think the helmet was most likely a cavalry piece as silver trim was generally reserved for mounted troops.
The replacement parts were all original German made replacements that Cameron Laughlin had in stock. We did a little parts trading. We'd never in a thousand years find original Mexican kokarden, so we used repainted, artificially aged original German kokarden.
The final result was really satisfying.
Mark D.
) There were two pickelehaubes and he just bought the one, but always regretted not getting both. He paid something like $25 for the piece, which was a lot for that time.The helmet was not in great shape in 1958 and had deteriorated over time. The chinstrap and front trim were almost certainly replacements, probably plucked from another Mexican pickelhaube used as a parts helmet. The original kokarden were missing, replaced by Prussian NCO kokarden. This was probably something my father or I did 40 years ago, although we can't remember doing this. At any rate, the whole thing cried out for professional, careful, minimally bogus restoration. We sent the piece to Turner and Laughlin and it came back recently totally transformed. Thought you might enjoy seeing photos.
We think the helmet was most likely a cavalry piece as silver trim was generally reserved for mounted troops.
The replacement parts were all original German made replacements that Cameron Laughlin had in stock. We did a little parts trading. We'd never in a thousand years find original Mexican kokarden, so we used repainted, artificially aged original German kokarden.
The final result was really satisfying.
Mark D.
