Pickelhaube Markings For Beginners: The Basics

b.loree

b.loree

Administrator
Staff member
Continuing on here with this series of posts for new collectors. If you are lucky as a new haube collector, you may be able to buy a helmet with regimental markings. Before WW1 most government issued helmets were marked with ink stamps indicating year of acceptance into regimental stores, regiment number, battalion# and company#. In many cases the size of the helmet in cm will also be stamped on the piece. For the most part these stampings are found on the underside of the rear visor but they can also be seen inside the helmet shell or stamped on the flesh side of the liner. Officer helmets are never marked as these were privately purchased by the officer. Some officers did write their names in their helmets and in rare cases their regiment but due to the script used and hand writing style, these can be difficult to understand. So let's look at some basic examples:
IMG_4777.jpeg
First, a Baden M15 stamped to JR 170 Infantry Regt. 170. The Germans used JR and IR to represent "infantry regiment". If this were a Ulan or Hussar piece we could see "UR# or HR#. As usual, we can see something different with the Bavarians.....they quite often simply stamped the Regt # with no inking involved. This helmet is a size 54 cm so we see this stamp on the other side of the rear spine:
IMG_4778.jpeg
In my experience, it is unusual to find a regimentally marked M15. They will have helmet size, manufacturer name and date (sometimes) but no regimental ID. Early on in WW1 the Germans realized that their well marked pre war helmets if captured, provided too much information to the enemy. Consequently, many pre war stampings were sanded off or inked over.
IMG_4776.jpeg
An example of a rear visor where the original markings have been "inked out". More to come :)
 
Last edited:
Continuing on.....a pre war stamping example from JR 126 a Wurttemberg Regiment :
IMG_4785.jpeg
The stamping reads: JR 126 1896. So the regt accepted this piece into stores in this year. My apologies for the photo quality but it is often very hard to read these stampings after 128 years! :oops: This is a typical pre war marking.
IMG_4786.jpeg. At one time, the battalion and company numbers from JR 126 were also present but these have been deliberately removed although they did leave the size 55 cm. :)
IMG_4781.jpeg
The pre war markings from a JR 94 helmet accepted into stores in 1900. On the other side of the spine as is typical pre war, we see the Battalion and Company numbers. These are most often in "Roman Numerals". In this case they read III B IIC, third Battalion second Company.
IMG_4783.jpeg
A better photo of the Batt. and Co. roman numerals.
Another thing to note here collectors regarding spine nuts....above we see the typical pre war square brass nut. On the JR 170 piece, you may have noticed a steel hex nut being used. Usually the M15 nut is square and again steel. We also find brass hex nuts on the rare ersatz tin helmets with brass fittings. The thing to remember here is that there are always exceptions to the norms/rules here in the land of pickelhauben. :unsure:
IMG_4787.jpeg
Last, another hex nut on a Prussian Garde M15 and the typical Garde Clothing Depot wartime ink stamp with year date. The model 1915 was introduced for 3 reasons.....grey steel fittings are less visible than shiny brass and Germany was experiencing a brass shortage by this year. Last,
the M15 spike top was easily removed resulting in a reduced trench profile. Again, my purpose in this post has been to present "the basics" of haube markings, there are many different ones including Korps stampings which I did not touch upon. Here on the forum, we have assembled an extensive photo archive of helmet markings from the Imperial German Regiments as well as manufacturer stamps. You can look at these by going to the Pickelhaube Discussion area. Again to the more experienced members here....if you have something to add or a correction to what I have posted do not hesitate to make a comment. :)👍
 
Last edited:
I mentioned that some regiments painted their markings in the shell of their helmets. Here is an example from JR 111 a Baden Regt. founded in 1852 and based at Rastatt:
IMG_4512.jpeg
Really by this date of 1915, JR 111 had no business painting up their markings in this manner BUT traditions die hard in the military!
IMG_4421.jpeg
Pre war painted markings from Fus Artillery Regt 9 (Foot artillery) with multiple years of issue starting in the 1890's and ending in 1903. 5B = 5th Battery. Fs A R 9 was founded in 1893 and based at Ehrenbreitstein in Schleswig-Holstein.
 
Last edited:
b.loree said:
View attachment 47934
The pre war markings from a JR 94 helmet accepted into stores in 1900. On the other side of the spine as is typical pre war, we see the Battalion and Company numbers. These are most often in "Roman Numerals". In this case they read III B IIC, third Battalion second Company.
View attachment 47936
Click to expand...
Hi Brian,
In this case, this is the 11 C of the IIIB ;) The second company (2C) was always in the IB.
Philippe
 
b.loree said:
Fs A R 9 was founded in 1893 and based at Ehrenbreitstein in Schleswig-Holstein.
Click to expand...
Fs AR 9 was founded (gestiftet) on the 14.9.1867.
Ehrenbreitstein is a fortress near Koblenz on the Rhein, not Schleswig-Holstein ;)
Philippe
 
Thanks Philippe for those corrections, my source for Fs Arty 9 was D. Laine pg. 218 so I guess he got it wrong or perhaps a typo?? :) As to JR 94 again, thanks for sharing that information as I was not aware of that either. 👍
 
Last edited:
I have mentioned "Korps Markings" previously and I have some photos to show but first some back ground information : Germany was divided up into Korps Districts by the High Command. Each Korps was assigned a number and contained all of the different units...Arty, Inf. Cav. Train etc. necessary to complete a wartime situation response. Any helmet order from a manufacturer had to be inspected by the Korps and stamped signifying acceptance 👍. These Korps used Roman numerals and letters in their stampings eg BAXIV for the Duchy of Baden. The letters BA in rough English translation represents the "clothing depot" of that Korps. In my experience as of 1915, the Germans, realizing the amount of information contained in pre war ink Regt. Markings switched to either an ink stamped Korps mark or nothing at all. The inked manufacturer stamps continued for the most part as they did not provide military information. Again as usual, I have to qualify my comments here, as I am not European or German. Collectors from those areas may provide us with "corrections" and that is appreciated! Some Korps photos:
IMG_4788.jpeg
A single BA IV stamp on this felt helmet...nothing else, which is typical of one of these hauben.
IMG_4789.jpeg
However, this stamping is on a helmet with a very rare wappen! A wappen from one of the small Saxon Duchies which basically only fielded one regiment each from their population! Let's take a look at this wappen..... the most obvious thing, is we have the usual Prussian eagle but with this silver nickel star and Saxon shield stuck in the middle. Looking closer we see a different motto on the eagle "Furest" instead of Koenig....Prince instead of King. I know from my reference books that this wappen is rare and ok. The laurel leaves on both sides of the shield also have some significance. I also know that the wappen is missing the cross on the orb and the visor trim is also silver not brass and split!! :oops::(. Did I get "collector fever" when I bought this and get sucked in??? Back to the Korps stamp and the reference books. The only Saxon Duchy Regt. from that BA IV Army Korps is JR 153 from Saxe Altenburg founded in 1807 and that wappen is Totally Correct!! Some Duchy wappen have laurel on one side and oak on the other but mine is correct for 153 :). So in this case, the only marking on this helmet, the Korps stamp legitimized my purchase. I did not go wrong on this helmet. Military ink stamps on a helmet can be used to correctly identify it and this is why they are important.
 
Last edited:
Other Korps markings:
IMG_4792.jpeg
A smudged RBA 18 from a Hessen M15. A reserve clothing depot which again is correct for Hesse. Note also the uberzug hook marks left on either side of the visor. Consequently, we know that even though this was an M15 a cloth uberzug (cover) was issued.
IMG_4790.jpeg
BAX 1915 from an Oldenburg M15. Both of these Korps markings match the rare wappen on the helmet which is a good thing for any collector. Last note as well the ink manufacturer stamp and year up in the shell of the helmet. This one is circular but many are oval in shape.
 
Some last comments regarding pickelhaube markings. Many collectors buy officer helmets....they are prettier, more fancy with gilt stars, wappen and chin scales, silk liners and command higher prices which is all well and good. 👍 However, there are no markings/ink stamps on these helmets as they were bought by the officer not by the German government. They were bought from military accessory stores which specialized in providing accoutrements for this higher class of society. As private purchase items, they have no markings other than a size (cm), an officer name perhaps or rarely a "royal" cypher affixed on to the silk liner. These provide very little "provenance" for the collector as especially with the Prussian helmets, you could stick any rare regimental wappen on it providing it fits....and even then holes can be enlarged. There were no grommets in the wappen holes of officer helmets so this was an easy fix for the retailer even back in the 1880's or whenever. We are in the year 2024 and I believe that most of us are savvy to the wiles of retailers....."shrinkflation" for example :( it was no different at the turn of the century in 1900. Consequently, I prefer to spend my money on well marked OR's helmets where there can be no doubt as to provenance because the markings match the helmet plate. "To each his own" B
 
Very nice work Brian.

I'm having a senior moment, but I can't remember if there is a reference that shows all Korps with the units that were in each one throughout the war showing any changes. Thanks in advance John Josef
 
The most convenient source I use John, is the Didier Laine reference published in France but containing details in both French, German and English. This is the book that I always take with me to the SOS and was published in 1984. Unfortunately, the binding on this volume was cheaply made and the spine tears/separates from the covers. :( Every new collector should buy one of these if they see one come up for sale! 👍
Merci dixmude, moi aussi!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top