Saxon officer helmets with emblem attachment using split prongs

Sandmann

Well-known member
Hello all,
I recently saw an officer's helmet at Weitze with an emblem that was attached to the helmet with split prongs. I then looked online and found various Saxon officer emblems that used similar attachments. All of these stars look authentic to me and all of them are highly domed Saxon stars.
Could it be an attachment method used by some Saxon makers, which came up with these highly domed stars? What do you think about originality?
 
Hello all,
I recently saw an officer's helmet at Weitze with an emblem that was attached to the helmet with split prongs. I then looked online and found various Saxon officer emblems that used similar attachments. All of these stars look authentic to me and all of them are highly domed Saxon stars.
Could it be an attachment method used by some Saxon makers, which came up with these highly domed stars? What do you think about originality?
On the helmet plates , I note that 1 seller is at 255 Euro
while H o H is at 750 Euro !
Steve
 
Hello all,
I recently saw an officer's helmet at Weitze with an emblem that was attached to the helmet with split prongs. I then looked online and found various Saxon officer emblems that used similar attachments. All of these stars look authentic to me and all of them are highly domed Saxon stars.
Could it be an attachment method used by some Saxon makers, which came up with these highly domed stars? What do you think about originality?
The split prongs attachment can be found in any state. I have Prussian, Baden, Bavarian, Saxon plates in split prongs. I don't usually like the split prongs wappens as it prevents me from pulling them apart to tell if the wappen is original or not.

Recently I received a split prong Bavarian colonel officer . I decided to pull it apart and take the risk of the prong being detached. Well the prongs was easy to straighten and the wappen was fake. I was fortunate that the dealer took it back.

Regards
Amy Bellars
 
Thank you very much for your opinions. However, I struggle with the idea that all these emblems were wartime productions. The complete Weitze helmet with the year 1908 looks authentic to me and also most of the emblems I have found seem to be pre-war quality. They don't seem to be made of zinc, but of aluminum bronze or brass. But it's strange that I've only been able to find authentic Saxon emblems so far.

Here are some more examples that I find authentic:
 
Sandy if you ever see a zinc Dunkelblau emblem for any kingdom or state, send a photo would you please? This I have never seen. Fittings, yes, but Wappen always brass or Neusilber right to the end. Probably that was done to maintain the sharp details and quality. To my eye, all of the emblems you have linked above are originals. Some with voided crowns, some with solid crowns, but probably paper thin stampings. Still I vote 14-18 Wartime. Prince Georg could have used the services for refurbishment that many manufacturers offered. New liner, new or re-gilted metal parts etc. for cheaper than a new Helm.
 
Here is Georg’s Helm. Under the washers are imprints of previous washers. So the Sachsen Wappen was probably replaced. This to me is absolutely normal. When parts lose their original finish, it was probably only pennies to have a replacement attached. In my opinion this is original period upgrading. Beautiful grouping.

846DFD5A-5350-4554-8E3D-2CBB708C9EAE.jpeg
 
Perhaps relevant......years ago I owned a zinc Prussian officer wappen. The details were as sharp as a prewar piece. If memory serves, it had screw posts. Unfortunately, I sold it, which I regret now as I have never seen another.
 
. The complete Weitze helmet with the year 1908 looks authentic to me
Personally, I'd never bet my last shirt on a helmet from this seller. I know that his habit of completing and reassembling helmets is not as rare as you might think. I remember once when I went into his store to pick up a helmet. I told him about another perfectly named and traceable troop helmet in the period lists he was also selling. The wearer's handwritten markings on the helmet matched perfectly with a wearer from a Guard unit taken prisoner during the First Battle of the Marne, September 1914. The only problem was that the helmet bore a grenadier's Wappen instead of a guard Wappen at the same loops spacing. When I pointed this out to him, he said: “It's not a problem at all, I've still got lots of plates in reserve, I'm sure I'll find one that will fit”.
And as we know, officers helmets are much easier to upgrade or to pimp up....Just be careful!

Philippe
 
Thank you very much for your answers. I wasn’t aware that the Wappen weren’t mostly made of the same material as the fittings.
 
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