ww1czechlegion
Well-known member
Offered for sale is an original M15 leather chinstrap with the gray metal slide buckles and attachment ends.
The leather has hardened/stiffened. I do not know if this could be softened or not. As it is right now, the chinstrap is not able to be placed on an enlisted pickelhaube helmet. I don't know if this could be re-hydrated or not, such as exposing it to high humidity to soften the leather or black finish on the chinstrap. I have not tried to do anything with it since I acquired it. The leather has not gotten wet. I believe the leather got stiff because it may have been exposed to heat in an attic over decades of time. I believe that heat "baked" the black leather finish on the leather chinstrap, and made it stiff and inflexible.
I acquired this from the famous Doughboy trunk horde grouping that surfaced in Pennsylvania in approximately 2017 or 2018. I purchased it along with 50 plus assorted kokardes out of the 150+ enlisted kokardes that were found in the WW1 U.S. Doughboy trunk. There were other Imperial German items that were brought home by this soldier as souvenirs. I am guessing that he had access to a clothing supply depot in the Army of Occupation after the Armistice, where he acquired many different items. Some members here may be familiar with the large auction that sold these items, and the much smaller follow up auction later that sold a few more kokardes.
Price: $225 or "best offer" plus Postage.
USA Postage: $14 via Priority US Mail with Tracking.
Payment via PayPal "friends and family" preferred. I also accept checks and money order. Bank wire transfer is also possible.
I can ship this to Canada, UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Please ask for a postage quote if you are interested in purchasing the plume. My guess without checking with the Post Office would be $25 - $30 price range to mail this outside of the U.S. with tracking.
Thanks,
Alan
The leather has hardened/stiffened. I do not know if this could be softened or not. As it is right now, the chinstrap is not able to be placed on an enlisted pickelhaube helmet. I don't know if this could be re-hydrated or not, such as exposing it to high humidity to soften the leather or black finish on the chinstrap. I have not tried to do anything with it since I acquired it. The leather has not gotten wet. I believe the leather got stiff because it may have been exposed to heat in an attic over decades of time. I believe that heat "baked" the black leather finish on the leather chinstrap, and made it stiff and inflexible.
I acquired this from the famous Doughboy trunk horde grouping that surfaced in Pennsylvania in approximately 2017 or 2018. I purchased it along with 50 plus assorted kokardes out of the 150+ enlisted kokardes that were found in the WW1 U.S. Doughboy trunk. There were other Imperial German items that were brought home by this soldier as souvenirs. I am guessing that he had access to a clothing supply depot in the Army of Occupation after the Armistice, where he acquired many different items. Some members here may be familiar with the large auction that sold these items, and the much smaller follow up auction later that sold a few more kokardes.
Price: $225 or "best offer" plus Postage.
USA Postage: $14 via Priority US Mail with Tracking.
Payment via PayPal "friends and family" preferred. I also accept checks and money order. Bank wire transfer is also possible.
I can ship this to Canada, UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Please ask for a postage quote if you are interested in purchasing the plume. My guess without checking with the Post Office would be $25 - $30 price range to mail this outside of the U.S. with tracking.
Thanks,
Alan