My Second Helmet Purchase

b.loree

b.loree

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Some photos of the second helmet I bought a few days ago.
MVC-028S (1).jpeg
A Prussian Landwehr OR helmet model 1895. Again the size is 57 1/2 cm and it comes with a very nice original chin strap but no kokarden. Obviously, the odd thing here is the Officer spike and 3 stars. :unsure: However, I have several proper spikes so this will be replaced.
MVC-032S.jpeg
A nice close up of the Landwehr wappen. For beginners.... the eagle here has no motto ribbon as the Mit Gott etc. is present on the neusilber cross. Unlike a reservist wappen which would have a smaller cross affixed to the tail feathers using bent prongs, this cross is integral to the wappen. All stitching is tight on this piece and it is in very good condition.
MVC-037S (1).jpeg
A complete liner in excellent shape. There were Regt. markings on this helmet but they have been removed from the rear visor. I have explained previously why this was done. The original chin strap is in great condition and a brown colour. This colour is a bit unusual but I have seen this before on other OR helmets.
MVC-039S.jpeg
Manufacture date of 1913. There is also a nice maker stamp beside this: Rudolf Weimer & Co. This is the first Landwehr helmet that I have owned we don't see many here in N America.
 
Verdun: There is no trace of a former "teller" (dish/plate) on the inside of the helmet. No evidence of the usual tin spike support disc. The missing star hole does have the marks of the tin washer which we see under the other stars. The stars themselves are zinc with gold wash. The square nuts are steel which also suggests "wartime" production. The officer spike top unscrews for the trichter and has a cut in the rim for the rear spine which fits perfectly. The entire spike is prewar brass.
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We have a bit of a mystery here, this is a government issued helmet dated 1913. It would have had the usual M95 OR's spike on it originally. The star washers are originals and the patina of all brass fittings matches. I have no explanation.
 
Hi Brian,
I wonder a lot about a EM Wappen in correlation with an officer spike :unsure: Probably a war time curiosity?
Philippe
 
I admit it is tempting to change the tip to make it look more standard; however, if no trace of Teller is visible, perhaps this is a sign of an original assembly or "a war time curiosity" ?
 
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On the other hand, I've already had the piece below in my hands, after acquiring it for another collector. No officer's spike with stars, but a spike much longer than an EM spike with the Überzug perfectly adapted and whose traces left by the chinstrap and the wappen in the weft of the fabric leave no doubt as to the originality and coherence of the whole. I concluded that it was an original, non-regulation fantasy, worn in wartime by a senior non-commissioned officer (Feldwebel) serving in a unit behind the front (administration, Ersatz-Bataillon, Etappe).
Philippe
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There was still a faint JR74 marking on the rear visor, only to be detected while made wet with care and under angled light, impossible to photograph...
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