A Couple Pickelhaube Questions

[historyguy]

I have some questions regarding the Pickelhaube... Could not find answers in any of my books.

1) How much should I expect to pay for a pair of Prussian enlisted Kokarden?

2) Are enlisted chin straps ''one size fits all," or do I need to know the helmet size before shopping for one?

3) How were the front plates attached to the Pickelhaube? I see holes on the front, and loops on the plate, but what secured them? String, wire, clips???
Can you tell I'm restoting a Pickelhaube???

Thanks for any assistance.

[Tony & Kaiser]

Andy, look here >> http://www.kaisersbunker.com/pe/

M1891 leather chinstraps come in different sizes for different helmet sizes, but I would not worry about that, as the buckles slide and normally any strap will fit fine. Watch ebay for Kokarden, lots of nice originals show up. Good luck, Tony

[Brian Calkins]

plates

Andy,
Those loops on the back of the plate were inserted through the holes on the helmet body and then inch long leather wedges were inserted through the holes to secure the badge.

Brian

[historyguy]

Thank you for the information.

Are those leather wedges ever listed on eBay?? And more importantly, how on earth am I going to tell authentic wdges from reproductions?

BTW I saw a Prussian state Kokarde the other day for $50.00 Is that about the going rate?? Plus, I'm guessing straps sell for about $100?

Thanks again.

[pbuchh7715]

Andy,

I've never seen the retaining lether for the front plates up for sale but Great War Militaria may sell some that look like originals (but be prepared to pay a premium; nothing they sell is a bargain). Age and patina are really the only way to tell and I believe (someone can correct me) they were normally made from left over leather when the helmets were built.

Original chinstraps are tougher to find than the reproductions but the differences are pretty obvious; I've seen some aged ones that are pretty convincing. I believe the key is stiching and attachments but I think that's a science in itself as well. Size does make a difference with reproductions; most I've seen are too big for the helmet (length) but you can usually shrink the leather a bit. You can pick those up as cheap as $20 - $25. I'd probably pay a saw buck for a nice original one

If you shop you can find kokarden for less than $50 (as well as reproduction blanks for $10 -$15) if you shop; rarer States are more expensive. That seems to be the going rate on eBay.

Again Great War Militaria is a great one-stop-shop for Imperial German parts, but they are pretty expensive.

For what it's worth and hopefully helpful,

Pete
(the lurker)

[GHP]

A "Wedgie"

Andy,

I found this image on another thread about a boxed Uhlan (lancer) NCO tchapka. It shows how the leather scrap wedge was used to secure the helmet plate. Look at the lower right corner of the photo.

Image: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...1&d=1153598678

Thread: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=168656

Regards,
Guy Power