I think this is a model 1845 Prussian Kurass. It was made by Wilhelm Jaeger and was accepted into service in 1870. There are no unit marks, but both the front and back plates are marked A 70. Possibly a serial number? The interior of the front plate has a 68 stamped in on the skirt. It also has a large 68 painted on it.
Nice outfit! Well done!
The helmet is a modified M43 53 model because the visor extends under the shell. Previously, the visor was hinged by the two side rivets and could be raised slightly. But rain would seep into the cuirassier’s eyes!
Another flaw was the absence of a reinforcing band beneath the cockade, which made the helmet too fragile; it would break at that point. All helmets were therefore reinforced by 1870. The eagle is still the old M43/60 model from May 1870. The “Vaterland” band was reattached and soldered. In 1870, M62/67 helmets were worn by the line cuirassiers and M53/67 helmets by the S.R.R. (Schwerer-Reserve-Reiter).
Below is a shorter M62, modified to an M67 by adding a border beneath the cockade.
