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.
Bob! Congratulations on a very difficult to find Preussen issued Cuirass. What an excellent looking set. Nothing says shock and awe like a Cuirass and Metalhelm!
Back to the Cuirass. I present two examples. Left, a captured French 1812 Carabinier, and on the right, a Preussen 1845 Garde replacement. Both are covered in stamped markings, and both GKR stamped. Both have liners. All changes are visible on the 1845: the sword catch on the arm holes, enlarged arm holes, the elongated neck, the French fat-belly replaced with the enlarged chest, and other specific details which are all visible. Plus the shot dent, ever used before 1845.
The number is 70 etc. stamped in are probably size of stampings. They came in three different sizes. So it could be chest length?
