WWI PRUSSIAN M1895 OFFICERS / 1915 ENLISTED SPIKES

G

gunnertwo

Member
The seller antiquesarmsandarmor has two Spikes listed for sale on his ebay site. Both look good from my limited knowledge. What say the folks here on an estimate of value?

Item numbers:

291921856868

291921848306

Thanks

G2
 
My estimate would be about $1500 for the officer and about $500 for the EM
BUT !
The EM chinstrap may be a reproduction ,and I cannot see if the gold on the Off. spike is original.
These things are important to determine the value.
 
Thanks Ed for your opinion. The pics of the inside on the helmet of the prongs for the plate and spike are tight and do not appear to have been opened. The seller mentions this in the description. That would indicate that both pieces have been there forever and lessen the chance for re-plating the gold finish? The lining appears minty, the minor issues as far as I can see are the front leather visor condition and some loss of finish on the chinstrap. I'm just starting down this road on Pickelhaubes and I appreciate the comments.

G2
 
These are both beautiful helmets. I would question why the patina on the front visor trim on the officer's helmet doesn't match the patina on the other fittings. This could indicate that the metal fittings have been polished. If they were polished and all of the gilding is gone that would effect the value considerably. The chinscale patina doesn't match either but I have seen that commonly and would probably disregard. I would ask the seller if the helmet brass had ever been polished.

The enlisted M15 is also a beauty, but I believe that the chinstrap and Kokarden are replacements. Original Prussian Kokarden are easy to find, and I would doubt that many of the collectors on this website don't have at least one replacement chinstrap, especially on an M15.

I am cheaper than most in this forum but I would say that the officer helmet is between $1000 and $1200. I would value the enlisted helmet between $450 and $550.

Good luck and welcome to the world of Pickelhaube.

John :)
 
The officer's helmet looks good except, I couldn't see the knurled ring around the spike. If it isn't present, the spike is a replacement and not correct.
Jim
 
Jim,

Could you give me an idea of what the "knurled ring" looks like so I can compare it to the auction item?

Thanks,

Greg
 
The same spike is listed for sale on the sellers webpage, here is the link:

http://www.antiquesarmsandarmor.com/index.php/militaria/headgear/german-military/2363-wwi-prussian-m1915-wartime-pickelhaube" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jim, could you look at these photos and advise regarding your comments.

The seller is asking $1695.

Thanks to all.

G2
 
gunnertwo said:
Jim,

Could you give me an idea of what the "knurled ring" looks like so I can compare it to the auction item?

Thanks,

Greg
Click to expand...

Greg
Go to the Pickelhaube discussion area and look at the photos of other officer's helmets. You could use the photo of one of my helmets in
http://pickelhaubes.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10501" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; if you want. Enlarge the photo and look at the "rings" around the spike. I believe that this is what Jim is talking about.

John :)
 
Thanks, looked at the other thread and observed the rings around the top of the spike. The auction item does not have the rings. Does this indicate a later version or a reproduction? Appreciate the help and advice.

G2
 
gunnertwo said:
Thanks, looked at the other thread and observed the rings around the top of the spike. The auction item does not have the rings. Does this indicate a later version or a reproduction? Appreciate the help and advice.

G2
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that it really indicates either, reproduction or later version. It may just be a manufacturers variant. I have several private purchase enlisted helmets that are officer quality and most of them do not have the rings around the spike. All officer helmets were private purchase, and all of my officer helmets with a round spike have the rings. Fluted spikes and artillery Kugel's do not have rings. I had never thought about the rings as being definitive for an officers helmet. This thread is the first time I had heard that. I do not think that I would disregard this officers helmet just because it doesn't have rings around the spike. I hope that someone else can solve this dilemma for both of us.

John :?
 
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