Memorabilia

Imperial German Insignia Lot: Bayonet Knots, Shoulder Straps, Buckle, and an Adjutant Sash

Mixed lot features a nice pre-war Bavarian NCO bayonet knot, a Prussian pre-war bayonet knot, unissued private purchase 1st Company enlisted knot with gray strap, a pair of Prussian Field Artillery Leutnant shoulder straps, Prussian M.1847 enlisted buckle, a bullion officer's sword knot, and a Bavarian adjutant sash.  

$300 - $400

Imperial German WWI Medals, Insignia, & Ephemera Lot

Lot features 1914 Iron Cross First Class, a nice convex pinback example hallmarked "800" on the reverse under the pin attachment.  Also a 1914 Iron Cross Second Class, silver wound badge, Prussian buckle, and a Prussian pickelhaube cockade.  Cockades for field caps include enlisted sew-through Reichs and Prussian, and a nice Prussian cockade with the Landwehr cross.  Also includes a large 16cm x 16cm (6-3/8") pressed pasteboard 1914 Iron Cross that was once in an album or mounted on paper, as it has spots of glue residue in the corners on the reverse.  Other material includes a single enlisted shoulder strap from Field Artillery Regiment 59, an 1890's CDV image of a one-year volunteer Infantryman with Gew.88 rifle, a turn-of-the-century Military Pass (Militär-Paß) for a soldier who served in JR 18, three casualty mourning cards, and the tags from two WWI temporary grave markers.

$300 - $400

Imperial German M1917 Lederschutzmaske Gas Mask And Carrier

M17 lederschutzmaske in nice pliable condition has complete head harness, neck strap, and filter.  The filter has a few rust spots, but not the topographical ring of them that you normally find on these - in this case it is fairly light and sparse, and the filter is complete with the snap-on external filter for arsenic agents.  Leather mask remains in nice condition as is the norm for these.  Carrier retains 60% field gray finish blending with patina where worn, has a good papercloth carrying strap, and is complete with the short papercloth attachment strap.  Interior has some light rust in spots, holds extra lenses in the lid compartment. 

$100-$200

Imperial German M1917 Lederschutzmaske Gas Mask And Carrier

M17 lederschutzmaske in nice pliable condition has complete head harness, neck strap, and filter.  The filter has a bit of light rust but remains nicer than the norm.  Leather mask remains in nice condition as is usually the case for these.  Carrier retains ~25-30% field gray finish blending with light surface rust where worn, has a good papercloth carrying strap, and is complete with the short papercloth attachment strap.  Interior has extra lenses in the lid compartment, lacks only the paper instruction label that was originally placed in the bottom. 

$100-$200

Imperial German M1917 Lederschutzmaske Gas Mask And Carrier

M17 lederschutzmaske in nice pliable condition has complete head harness, neck strap, and filter.  The filter has a few rust spots, but not the topographical ring of them that you normally find on these.  It is an unused example with the seal and pull tab on the bottom yet, in very good overall condition.  Includes the separate snap-on filter for arsenic agents.  Interior or the mask is discolored along the bottom edge where it was in long-term contact with the chin of a styrofoam display head that deteriorated and left bits of itself stuck to the leather.  I removed most of that material (some remains), but the discoloration remains as well.  Carrier is nice; retains 70% field gray finish blending with patina where worn, has a good papercloth carrying strap, and is complete with the short papercloth attachment strap.  Interior has extra lenses in the lid compartment.  Lacks only the instruction paper on the bottom. 

$100 - $200

Imperial German WWI Soldier's Einheits Feldmütze

Field gray wool issue Einheits Feldmütze has gray green abzeichentuch (insignia cloth) band and piping, obverse has incorrect (cast lead?) Reichs and state cockades.  Interior has a very faint, illegible maker stamp and an 8th Corps bekleidungsamt issue stamp.  Exterior has several areas of moderate mothing on the top of the crown and on the back.   Interior white cotton lining shows heavy stains and soil.  Though introduced late in the war, these universal service caps saw plenty of use, but are not commonly found on the collector's market.

The German 8th Army Corps (VIII. Armeekorps) recruited primarily from the Rhine Province (Rheinprovinz) of Prussia and the Principality of Birkenfeld, which was part of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, both before and during the Great War.

$100 - $200

Feldgrau wool cap has red wool band and piping; obverse with Reichs and Prussian enlisted sew-through cockades which are properly applied with the colored felt backing pieces and appear to be original to the cap.  Cotton lining and sweatband is stained from use; has 3rd Corps Bekleidungsamt stamp and partially legible regimental issue stamp.  Cap remains in very good condition with just a few pinholes in the band.  $150 - $250

Imperial German Headgear Lot: Two Caps and a Prussian Shako

Includes a dunkelblau Infantry mütze with Prussian and Reichs NCO cockades; interior has costume house markings, and the exterior has a large stitched repair in the back. 

Second item is a dark blue wool visor cap with black band and white piping.  This has enlisted sew-through cockades on the front, spots of (glue?) on the band and light tracking.  Interior has red coarse cloth lining and a short pieced construction brown leather sweatband.  

Third is a Prussian shako; black leather body is marred around its circumference where it was stacked for a long time with others of its kind.  Obverse has a nice Prussian gray metal wappen secured through the original grommeted holes, and it currently has a modern replica black leather chinstrap.  Lacks field badge and Reichs cockade.  Interior has a name inscribed in the crown.  Lacks liner entirely. 

$100 - $150

Imperial German Infantry Feldmütze

Feldgrau wool cap has red wool band and piping; obverse with Reichs and Prussian enlisted sew-through cockades, of which the Reichs cockade is properly applied with the colored felt backing piece and likely to be original to the cap; Prussian cockade is original but may be a replacement.  Cotton lining and sweatband is stained from use; has several stamped markings inked out, soldier's name is written in the crown in purple laundry pen.  Cap remains in very good condition with just normal field service wear and no readily apparent mothing. 

$150 - $250

Imperial German WWI Baden Reserve / Landwehr Infantryman's Feldmütze

Feldgrau wool cap has red wool band and piping; obverse has enlisted sew-through Prussian cockade where the Reich cockade should be.. though it is still backed by the red felt piece.  Below that is a nice Baden enlisted cockade with integral Landwehr cross.  Interior has white cotton lining with no visible markings.  Exterior has service soil and stains; interior is also stained from wear in the field, but a nice cap with no readily apparent mothing.  Safe to assume that at least one and maybe both of the cockades are replacements to this cap, but with a proper Reich cockade where the Prussian one now sits, it would be correct.  

$200 - $300 

WWI Imperial German Bavarian Officer's Visor Cap

Schirmmütze for a Bavarian Infantry officer, of field gray wool with red wool band and piping, black Vulkanfiber visor, Reich and Bavarian officer cockades on the front.  Interior has gray silk crown and body lining, and a field gray tall faux leather sweatband.  Has one stitched repair on a crown seam on the wearer's left side and otherwise just shows very light wear - quite nice overall and retains a nice stiffened profile.  Clearly this piece of WWI headgear has been very well cared for over the many intervening years.  $200 - $300

Imperial German Garde-Kürassier Regiment Officer's Visor Cap

White wool schirmütze has blue wool band and piping, officer's Reich and Prussian cockades, and a black Vulkanfiber visor.  Interior has light tan leather sweatband embossed with the owner's name, and a white silk crown lining with gilt embossed crown and "R" initial.  Interior of the visor has a dark red finish.  Cap remains in very good condition with a few minor stains and discolorations, no readily apparent mothing and no heavy wear. 

$600 - $800

Imperial German WWI Artillery Kugelhelm Camouflage Field Cover

Private purchase uberzug for an artillery kugelhelm, heavily stained and worn with great field service character, retains about half of it's green wool unit numerals "57" on the front.  Interior has "D.R.P." on the reinforced visor covers (Deutsches Reichspatent or German Imperial Patent, used roughly from 1877 to 1945 on patented items in Germany.)  This is not the cover for a collector who prioritizes brand-new, unissued condition materials.. but for those who like their WWI artifacts to convey the mud, soil, grime, and wear of trench warfare - this one fits the description perfectly.

$100 - $150

Bavarian Felt Ersatz Enlisted Pickelhaube

Ersatz helmet made of field gray pressed felt has matte brass fittings including peakmount, non-removable spike, rear spine with sliding vent cover, and Bavarian frontplate which is retained through the one and only set of holes - clearly original to this helmet..  Body of the helmet retains its proper profile without damage or deformity.  Interior has just tattered remains of the leather liner.  Despite the complete loss of the liner, the when completed with proper cockades and a chinstrap, with the solid shape and nice mellow patina on the fittings, this will be an eye-catching favorite in any display of pickelhauben.

$200 - $300

Early mixed green cloth issue uberzug has red wool regimental numerals "15", interior has reinforced spike tip and no visible markings.  The owner had this displayed on a Prussian enlisted M15 spike helmet which is included - has repainted spike base and removable spike top, Prussian and Reichs cockades with a replica chinstrap.  Interior has well-worn but intact brown leather liner, and VII Corps issue markings on the interior rear visor.  Leather helmet body remains in good condition; rear visor has some deformity as is the norm.  Prussian wappen is attached with leather wedges, but is clearly not the original plate on this helmet, as it is retained through a secondary set of holes pierced above the first set.  As the owner wisely determined, this is a perfect helmet to use as a display stand for a nice cover!  $200 - $300

Imperial German WWI 10th (Hanoverian) Jäger Battalion M15 Shako Plate

A very, very scarce wartime gray finish M15 shako plate with "WATERLOO / PENINSULA / VENTA DEL POZO".  Reverse has attachment loops intact.  

The only Imperial German unit with a front plate displaying the honor titles "Waterloo," "Peninsula," and "Venta del Pozo" is the 10th (Hanoverian) Jäger Battalion. These originate from the King's German Legion (KGL) of the Napoleonic Wars.  The 10th Jäger Battalion inherited these honors as the direct successor to Hanoverian units that fought alongside the British Army in Spain and at Waterloo.  Some Hanoverian infantry regiments (e.g., the 164th, 165th, 73rd Infantry Regiments) retained the "Waterloo" honor on their helmet plates but the use of all three titles together is a distinction exclusive to the 10th Jäger Battalion, making this a very unique and scarce Imperial German insignia.

$200 - $300

Imperial German Headgear Lot: Three Scratch-and-Dent Pickelhauben & One Derelict Shako

A parts / project lot which includes a repairable brass mounted Bavarian pickelhaub with square front visor, cruciform spike base with three of the four pins retained, and a Bavarian wappen that appears to be missing one of its two attachment screw posts.  The rear visor stitching has given way, but the helmet body remains in good overall shape.  Interior has a good black leather liner, and the rear visor is marked to the 7th Field Artillery, which.. is conveniently correct for a Bavarian helmet!  

Second helmet is a brass mounted private purchase pickelhaube with a nice muted gilt finish Prussian frontplate.  The helmet body has seen considerable damage, and the stitching is loose or gone in areas on both visors.  Interior has a tattered silk liner and damaged sweatband.  

Third helmet is a M15 Prussian pickelhaube with extensive finish wear on the leather and a broken front peakmount; interior has heavily worn but largely intact brown leather liner.  For all of the negatives, the removable spike is present, the visor stitching has not given way, the wappen is mounted through the original holes, and the rear visor does not exhibit too much in the way of the normal deformities.  With a replaced peakmount.. a redeemable / displayable helmet that could serve as a display stand for a good uberzug at the very least.

Last and least is a Prussian shako which is something of a lost cause - the front visor has fallen away entirely and the rear visor is just one unexpected sneeze away from the same fate; lacks interior liner and wappen.  Included for lack of any better home for them are a pair of collector repainted Reich cockades a collector repainted Prussian cockade, a reproduction chinstrap, and a feral gray metal spike helmet chinstrap attachment end piece.  

$200 - $300

Imperial German Headgear Lot including Pickelhaube & M16 Steel Helmet

Enlisted issue wartime M15 helmet has worn traces of feldgrau finish on the fittings including removable spike and front peakmount.  The helmet currently displays a Garde eagle without star that is very dark with oxidation and similar in patina to the rest of the helmet, though secured by modern wire through a second set of holes that partially overlap the first, and it does not sit flush against the helmet.  Has Prussian and Reichs cockades and what appears to be an original black leather chinstrap.  Interior rear visor is dark but has a legible infantry regiment issue stamp and what appears at first glance to be a 1910 date but is more likely 1916.  Helmet body remains in good condition without the normal rear visor deformity; black leather liner is also good overall with a bit of minor material loss.  

M.16 helmet shell has traces of original feldgrau finish blending with dark oxidized patina under a heavily textured subsequent layer of green and dark red paint splotches.  Interior has indistinct maker mark which may be GBN (Bing), and 1916 pattern leather liner band lacking the pads.  All three original pins are in place. 

$200 - $300

Prussian Artillery Kugelhelm

Enlisted issue black leather helmet has wartime gray metal fittings, Prussian front wappen has a different patina than the other metal fittings but is a correct fit, appears to have been in place for some time, and is secured through the original set of holes.  Helmet has Prussian and Reichs cockades secured by a chinstrap which is a reproduction as is normally the case, but a good one that does not look out of place on the helmet.  Leather body remains in very good condition with just a bit of the normal deformity of the rear visor.  Interior has 1916 date and faint issue stamp.  Brown leather liner is quite rough and has suffered damage and material loss.  Spike / kugel base is missing one attachment pin. 

$200 - $300

Prussian Wartime Enlisted Pickelhaube

Model 15 Prussian enlisted issue spike helmet has feldgrau fittings including removable spike and Prussian front wappen.  Peakmount shows little evidence of visor constriction.  The body remains in very good condition with no visor seperation, craquelure on the rear visor, and the body is somewhat out of shape, corrected immediately when placed on a head profile display form.  Helmet has original Prussian cockade, repainted Reichs cockade, and a modern replacement black leather chinstrap with plain gray metal fittings.  Though the chinstrap is a replica, it is a decent example and does not appear out of place on the helmet.  Interior has a heavily worn brown leather liner with surface finish flaking, a few tears and minor material loss.  Interior rear visor has faint issue stamp.  Wappen is secured through the two original grommeted holes. 

$300 - $400

Imperial German Headgear Scratch-and-Dent Lot: Kugelhelm, Pickelhaube & Prussian Garde Jäger Shako

M15 Baden enlisted pickelhaube has a gray metal Baden wappen that appears to always have been on this specific helmet, secured by leather wedges through the original grommeted holes.  Front visor stitching has given way but it is held in place fairly well by the peakmount.  Has removable spike which also appears original to the helmet.  Rear visor stitching has given way on both sides, but the leather appears unharmed.  Interior has a worn but intact tan leather liner.  Fugitive visor stitching aside, it is a decent helmet and quite plausibly restorable.

Less redeemable but still handy for parts is a brass mounted enlisted kugelhelm which someone has taken apart and incorrectly reassembled, with the metal backing piece for the kugel base placed Madonna-style on the outside of the helmet.  It currently has a gilt finished brass Prussian eagle that is clearly -not- original to this helmet, installed through extra slits made to the crown in the general vicinity of the original grommeted holes.  Helmet body has extensive finish craquelure, and the front visor, though attached with solid original stitching, is deformed.  Interior has worn but intact black leather liner.  This helmet includes a pair of collector-painted Reich and Prussian cockades, secured by a reproduction chinstrap.  

Prussian Garde Jäger Battalion Enlisted Shako displays fine from the exterior, with just a bit of crown deformity that should block out fine when on a properly supported display head.  Obverse features Prussian Garde Jäger frontplate retained by original leather wedges through the one and only set of grommeted holes, and clearly original to the shako.  The interior is what placed this one in the scratch-and-dent lot; the brown leather liner is quite tattered and only retained in part.  

All three lack original cockades, field badge, chinstraps, etc., but remain good candidates for restoration or as organ donors for other headgear.

$300 - $400

Prussian Enlisted Pickelhaube

Pre-War / early war brass mounted enlisted issue spike helmet has Prussian wappen, nonremovable spike, Reichs and Prussian cockades secured by an original black leather chinstrap with brass fittings.  Body of the helmet has finish craquelure, rear visor shows a bit of the normal deformity, visors remain solidly attached and show a minimum of age constriction away from the peakmount.  Interior has a black leather liner with some minor damage and material loss.  Rear visor is inscribed with a name and has a 10th Corps clothing office stamp dated 1915.  Interior of the crown has a Mainz maker stamp.  Front wappen is secured by leather wedges through the two original grommeted holes in the helmet.  This one came with an Oldenburg cockade, though I believe it to be a collector's repaint.  Oldenburg is plausible with X Corps, though the wappen would be different.. so that cockade is still included, but a Prussian cockade is installed for a more correct display. 

$300 - $400

Prussian Guard Ulan Tschapska

Issue black leather Lancer's helmet with matching mortar board trimmed in wartime gray metal. Has a Guard eagle front plate with applied nickel and enamel Guard star insignia. Prussian field badge is and old copy. Has replica or repainted Reichs cockade, lacks the Prussian field badge. Chinstrap is a modern replacement. Helmet body remains in good condition though slightly deformed as is often the case for these when they have not been supported on a full circumference hat form during long periods of display or storage.  Interior shows that the wappen is likely not the first to be on this helmet - it is secured through one of the original grommeted holes, and a slit annex to the other.  Black leather liner remains in good condition.

$400 - $500

Bavarian Ersatz Pressed Steel Pickelhaube

A fine example of the ersatz steel spiked helmets that were 'pressed' into service in early 1915 and were used to the end of the war by line units that had not been equipped with the M1916 trench helmet.  Example has black painted finish and brass hardware; obverse with Bavarian wappen, sides with Bavarian and Reichs cockades secured by a worn but intact brown leather chinstrap.  Interior has black leather liner in good overall condition, but with a bit of damage and material loss on one side.  Top of the crown has size "54" and date "1915" in red ink stamps.  Bavarian wappen is secured by bent prongs, and appears undisturbed - in my opinion it has always been the insignia on this specific helmet. 

$400 - $600

Württemberg Pioneer Enlisted Spiked Helmet

Enlisted M.95 spiked helmet has black leather body with silver metal fittings throughout including the non-removable spike with three of four original silver studs on the base, front visor trim with matching attachment studs, M.91 sideposts, rear spine with vent, and Wurttemberg frontplate.  Württemberg and Reichs cockades are secured by a replacement replica chinstrap.  The front visor has a bend and slight break on the interior side of the peakmount; rear visor exhibits deformity but remains solidly attached.  Interior has a good Pecard-free black leather liner in nice condition; crown interior has faint name inscription and size stamp "54".  Wappen is secured with leather wedges through the original grommeted holes. 

$400 - $600