I bought this shell recently from a member and basically, I purchased it for the metal fittings and liner. However, there are some things here for the new collector to have a look at.
At first glance we have an M15 missing spike and visor.... the previous owner had glued on a replacement but I have no need for that.
When we take off the wappen we see from the brass grommets that originally this was a brass M95 helmet. New collectors will see this many times when looking at Prussian M15's. Numerous times you will find that even the brass grommets have been removed, there will just be 2 sets of holes in the shell. To repeat, this relates to 2 issues facing the Germans mid war...a brass shortage and the need for cloth uberzugs to cover up shiny M95 spikes and fittings. The M15 also has a removable spike which lowers the profile in trench conditions.
The shell has other problems....the stitches on both side re enforcements have split open. If one looks closely you can see the old M95 stitch holes being overlapped by the courser white M15 thread! I have seen this many times on M15 visors, the repair depots simply restitched and replaced anything that needed work. Often they simply stitch into alternate M95 holes with that thick white M15 thread!
The spike support disc is pristine, no scratches and the steel split brads have never been removed since the conversion.
You can also see how the new holes for the M15 wappen were simply just punched through the shell! The split in the shell stitching is also very clear and the original stitch line is obvious!
The M95 style black liner is in very good condition and the square spine nut is present!
The colour/patina of all the steel fittings matches!
Summary: This is an M95 conversion helmet which is proven by the remaining brass grommets. A true M15 helmet would have steel grommets, no extra holes and an undyed M15 liner. New collectors......if you examine enough M15 helmets you will see many repairs and conversions especially on the Prussian ones as they are the most common. The bulk of the Imperial Army was made up of Prussian Regiments so their helmets are THE most common! Happy treasure hunting !
At first glance we have an M15 missing spike and visor.... the previous owner had glued on a replacement but I have no need for that.
When we take off the wappen we see from the brass grommets that originally this was a brass M95 helmet. New collectors will see this many times when looking at Prussian M15's. Numerous times you will find that even the brass grommets have been removed, there will just be 2 sets of holes in the shell. To repeat, this relates to 2 issues facing the Germans mid war...a brass shortage and the need for cloth uberzugs to cover up shiny M95 spikes and fittings. The M15 also has a removable spike which lowers the profile in trench conditions.
The shell has other problems....the stitches on both side re enforcements have split open. If one looks closely you can see the old M95 stitch holes being overlapped by the courser white M15 thread! I have seen this many times on M15 visors, the repair depots simply restitched and replaced anything that needed work. Often they simply stitch into alternate M95 holes with that thick white M15 thread!
The spike support disc is pristine, no scratches and the steel split brads have never been removed since the conversion.
You can also see how the new holes for the M15 wappen were simply just punched through the shell! The split in the shell stitching is also very clear and the original stitch line is obvious!The M95 style black liner is in very good condition and the square spine nut is present!
The colour/patina of all the steel fittings matches!Summary: This is an M95 conversion helmet which is proven by the remaining brass grommets. A true M15 helmet would have steel grommets, no extra holes and an undyed M15 liner. New collectors......if you examine enough M15 helmets you will see many repairs and conversions especially on the Prussian ones as they are the most common. The bulk of the Imperial Army was made up of Prussian Regiments so their helmets are THE most common! Happy treasure hunting !