Pre 1879 Mecklenburg Schwerin Other ranks Pickelhaube

[tony v]

Hi,

Well it's been a very exciting September in terms of collecting Mecklenburg militaria for me. I bagged a Mecklenburg
Strelitz reservists plate at a show at the end of August and followed that up with a trip to Northern Germany, a visit to Schwerin Castle and then advanced into Hamburg to pick up this pickelhaube.

It's pre 1879, I think, as it has the clover spike base still and the cockade is sheet metal. Note the detachable ball for attaching the parade trichter. No visible unit markings to state if it is IR 89 or 90.

Attached are couple of pictures of the Schwerin Schloss and the garden statue of Friedrich Franz II, sadly it wasn't his helmet I got !

cheers Tony

 

[ccj]

Nice, thanks for sharing. BTW, I wasn’t aware the ball atop the spike unscrewed. That’s nice. The other Mecklenburg helmet is also really nice.

 

[Sandmann]

Congratulations Tony, nice finds and I hope you had a good time here in Germany

 

[tony v]

Congratulations Tony, nice finds and I hope you had a good time here in Germany

sure did Sandy. Thank you. Went to Lubeck for a few days to soak up the Hanseatic vibe ! Trip to beautiful Schwerin and plenty of German hospitality in Hamburg !

 

[JustinG]

Schwerin was my favorite city in Germany on my last trip 2023 May. Great Pickelhaube and great collection behind.
Cheers,
JustinG

 

[pickelhauben]

Great score !

 

[Kaikun2001]

I love the spike on this type of helmet. Great helmet you have @tony v

 

[tony v]

Bravo on that meck also !

I love the spike on this type of helmet. Great helmet you have @tony v
View attachment 37522View attachment 37522

 

[b.loree]

That is a lovely old beast Tony! Awesome condition! I also didn’t know that the small ball unscrewed, something to remember.

 

[tony v]

Have to say a big shout out to forum members who have helped me out with these tricky Mecklenburg purchases over the years.

They have pointed out some schoolboy errors I made early on and their time, expertise has guided me the three pieces I have today.

I have bought six in total over the years and the first three went back and the last three stayed !

THANK YOU to one and all ! I hope to pay it forward at some point.

happy collecting

 

[Peter B]

Nice, thanks for sharing. BTW, I wasn’t aware the ball atop the spike unscrewed. That’s nice. The other Mecklenburg helmet is also really nice.

That is the same way that the "parade bush" on my British Fifth Dragoon Guards helmet works. Same square post that slides into the spike. I know Prince Albert was involved in the early British helmet design and probably copied this detail from the Germans.

 

[JustinG]

Have to say a big shout out to forum members who have helped me out with these tricky Mecklenburg purchases over the years.

They have pointed out some schoolboy errors I made early on and their time, expertise has guided me the three pieces I have today.

I have bought six in total over the years and the first three went back and the last three stayed !

THANK YOU to one and all ! I hope to pay it forward at some point.

happy collecting

I'll be happy to be that newbie member you would like to "Pay if forward with."

Best Regards,
JustinG

 

[CLOVIS 57]

, I wasn’t aware the ball atop the spike unscrewed.

In fact, on this "tuliped" point the ball is unscrewed for the GR89 (Schwerin Battalions) and remains fixed for the FR90 which did not have a Haarbusch.

 

[CLOVIS 57]

Hello Tony,
A beautiful and rare helmet. I also like the particularity of Mecklenburg helmets.
On the other hand, the round visor, with the cruciform base of the tip, annoys me. The M68 infantry helmet had a round visor and the same tip but with a round base, and the M68 Schwerin Dragon helmet had a square visor and the same tip but with a cruciform base.
Here we have a mix of the two, as on some gendarmerie helmets.

 

[tony v]

Hello Tony,
A beautiful and rare helmet. I also like the particularity of Mecklenburg helmets.
On the other hand, the round visor, with the cruciform base of the tip, annoys me. The M68 infantry helmet had a round visor and the same tip but with a round base, and the M68 Schwerin Dragon helmet had a square visor and the same tip but with a cruciform base.
Here we have a mix of the two, as on some gendarmerie helmets.

Thanks for your insight and comments on the mix and match nature of the spike base and visor. It is something I can live with and the plate looks as if it's never been off the helmet.

 

[Winodog]

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