Piklehaube and M35

[Reg]

Cheers Stuka F, Ill have a tentative "furtle around" tonight, dont worry about the holding position, its an Erstatz steel version.

Thanks again
Reg

[stuka f]

Cheers Stuka F, ..... its an Erstatz steel version.

Thanks again
Reg

I should stop drinking!!

[Ty Revelo]

Hey Stuka don't stop yet, i was going to join you

No really i was going to suggest the same thing as Stuka but as you stated it's the more rarer steel version.

I own my one any only picklehaube but yours is much nicer.

Congrat's and thanks for posting, Ty

[oradour]

Hi Reg,
i have not taken this decision to add my 2p worth lightly, & have delberated over the past 48hrs as to the decision, but im afraid your Pickelhaube is a fake. i take no great pleasure in informing you, and will now give my deliberations as to why :- The interior is too new it looks to have no age to it, look at the thickness of the tongues, on ersatz helms the leather (& sometimes papercloth !) were thin, like on an M1915 haube these liners did not usually lend themselves to age, & the liner does not sit right in the helmet, i.e. it does not fit the inner contours of the shell, (how is it attached to the shell?). The basic shape of the helm is wrong, the front & rear visors are almost touching/meeting (below the M91 chinstrap mounts), the rear visor would be deeper & more angled than the front, the positioning of the visors on your helmet gives it an almost ' bowler hat ' look, not the correct shape for a Pickelhaube. The rear reinforcing spine, has a movable vent, it is too far back on the spine & incidently vents were not fitted on tin/steel helms. The spine on your helm is fastened to the rear visor as per a leather haube, i.e. bent over the rim & held by a nut to a threaded shaft attached to the spine, on a tin/steel helm they were bolted straight through the spine & shell. These helms appeared in the early 90's in collecting circles, a stash of them rumoured to have been found in the cellar of a church in Saxony, but like all good rumours their is no foundation to this, probably made in the 70's along side the infamous ' Felt Pickelhaubes ' made in th U.K. they have made their appearance, being sold by unscrupulous dealers (especially around the Notts area) & fleabay ( in fact there is one on at the moment). 3 types of Ersatz-helm (substitute helmets) made in tin/steel exist, first the Prussian type of pressed tin, the shell made in 3 parts (the so-called 'kit helmet'), the F & R visors slid onto a raised rib & were held on by bent tabs, the spike & base were pressed onto the shell, (fake split brads on base), the rear spine stops short of the spike base & was deviod of a the sliding vent, it also had a unique front badge (wappen) fastening system. The next type was a single/one piece stamping out of tin (which yours emulates), many contracted to the Nuremburg toy maker ' Bing ' ( alot of these were Bavarian) all fittings identical to the leather haube. There was no rear spine fitted. The liner was held on by split brads, & usually had an additional strip of felt between the liner & shell for added comfort. Lastly there was the Prussian Stahlblech (steel), pressed from a single sheet of steel, these helmets sometimes show evidence of being ' turned ' on a lathe, as these helms are quite strong, there was no need for a rear spine, the helm featured a rolled edge like the later steel helmets, the liner was again affixed in place by split brads.
I hope this helps, not my intention to upset, but to inform. We have all been given info re/ fake 3rd Reich period helmets, but Pickelhaubes in all forms are have & still are being faked/copied.

[stuka f]

As I said I really should stop drinking;
....
...
I am afraid Oradour is wright, I had something bothering me too when I saw the linner, but didn't had much time to go back to the picture.
About the other details I am not such an expert and do learn as well.

[Reg]

No worries, thanks for the info Oradour and confirmation StukaF. Learning about these things is what the forum is about, I couldnt really have expected more for a fiver in the pub....perhaps I should consider spending a little more at a militaria fair LOL.

Much obliged gents, should I come accross any more bargain Pik's Ill consult you chaps first. It will look good on the Kaiser dummy on the "bayonet a brute" stand at the village fete though.

Cheers

Reg

[oradour]

Reg,
thanks for that, i did not want to offend, a fiver!...i'll give you that for the cockades, & a bit more for the chinstrap !....seriously though, if advertised on fleabay as a replica, youll still pull £80-90. Although shown at a village fete might well pull a ' ive got one them at home ' quips, and then.......