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Pickelhaube Identification


Skylinechili

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I've sorted through many online examples and have been unable to find a match to identify. So many variations. Is this Prussian, Bavarian? Overall appears to complete and in excellent condition. Including parade brush of horse hair I believe, in separate box. Any input? I'm sure Fritz is exhausted with me...😁

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An extremely good example in best condition!  The helmet is of a Reserve Officer of one of the Saxon Infantry regiments. The "half-square" shaped front peak is very characteristic of the Saxon officer's helmets, the flat chinscales would only be worn by foot regiments - so therefore not cavalry.
One strange thing is the white parade plume, are you sure this belongs to this helmet? Explanation: The only Saxon infantry regiments to wear a black plume were:
Leibgrenadier-Regiment Nr. 100, Dresden
Grenadier-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm Nr. 101, Dresden
These regiments both wore black plumes.
The plume is definitely the officer's type, as can be seen by the gold Trichter and the thick buffalo hair, which was not worn by other ranks, they had normal white horsehair, which is thinner. The plume and case are excellent, possibly from another helmet.
The helmet itself, is as mentioned, of a Reserve officer of one of the Saxon infantry regiments, including also Grenadier-Regiment 101,
Regiment 100 wore white metal fittings on it's helmets, so that is discounted. The helmet can be dated as around 1913-1914 in this quality and style, it could also be early wartime, after that the quality diminished. The form of the cockades is in the typical Saxon style, on the right, the colours of the Reich, on the left, the Saxon colours, white/green. You really have to store helmets well, as otherwise, they can drasticly deteriorate, i.e., the patent leather, probably at best in it's Transport case. The bush should also be protected against moths and insects.
If the plume does originally belong to the helmet, there must have been a special reason for the white plume, possibly he was attached to some higher staff. The rank of the helmet could be anything from Leutnant to Oberst, or even a General wearing regimental uniform. An exceptional helmet in every way. The D.R.G.M within the cloth cover is a patent copyright, being - Deutsches Reichs- Gebrauchs Muster, or D.R.P. - Deutsches Reichs-Patent.    The cloth cover also shows us that this was a wartime-worn helmet! Does it have a red or green number on the front? See photo example.   Are there any names inside the helmet, maker's labels, etc. or within the storage boxes?

N.B.: Each German state had it's own helmet plate and a cockade in that State's colours. There were also variations in the pattern of helmet. The Saxons were only ones to wear a "half-rounded" front peak, officers only, the other ranks wore a round peak, refer to other posts in the headdress section "The German Pickelhaube", etc.

post-173-0-53418100-1484249858.jpg

Example of a wartime helmet cover (removable spike) for other ranks with regimental number. Numbers were previously red, as introduced 1897, they were changed to green in the Summer of 1914. After the first few months of the war, the numbers were removed in the field, orders came and went, to remove and replace numbers, so there was some confusion about that. The cover illustrated would be about 1916, shortly afterwards gradually replaced by the new steel helmet.

post-173-0-83916300-1456499340.jpg

Saxon infantry other rank's helmet, presumably from Grenadier-Regiment 101, the spike is removable for a plume. Note helmet plate without the reserve cross, as regular, shorter spike for other ranks.

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Fritz,

No numbers on the cover, or visible names/ maker in the helmet. I didn't go full out investigating as I don't want to break it. Just so old and fragile. Perhaps the original owner had this as a second helmet for parade or special dress occasions? That could explain the white parade brush and the exceptional condition? 

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Yes, usually fragile and should be treated with care. May well be that officers had at least more than one piece. There were different grades of uniform for every occasion. Not every regiment wore a plume, there must have been an explanation for this, and as mentioned, in the Saxon infantry only 2 regiments wore plumes, and these were black. Generals wore feather plumes, for Saxony green for the underlying feathers and white for the outside feathers.

Bildergebnis für helmbusch für generäle sachsenBildergebnis für helmbusch für generäle sachsen

Here, examples of Generals' helmets, Bavaria - white/blue, Prussia - white/black

Bildergebnis für helmbusch für generäle sachsen

Württemberg - white feathers, the underlying feathers red/black

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