German Pre WWI Prussian 1860 Pattern Infantry Helmet, 12th Regiment
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $450.00

Original era manufacture. This is a very interesting example of an early Prussian enlisted Pickelhaube that numerous modifications as regulations changed.What I find most interesting about this pickelhaube are the measures taken by someone long ago to keep the spike attached to the rest of the helmet. At some point in the past the spike was broken off from its base and re-installed using a wooden plug jammed into its bottom opening. the plug was then cut across its bottom with a small wooden wedge driven into the cut to keep the plug from passing out the top of the helmet. Two small steel nails were hammered through the ventilation holes in the spike base into the wooden plug, these kept the spike from twisting on the wooden plug. Quite the Fred Flintstone repair wouldnt you say? Inside the helmet a diamond shaped piece of thin sheet steel is held in place by the four stirrup nuts which hold the cruciform base in place. Each of these nuts has a rectangular leather washer between the nut and the steel plate. Similar stirrup nuts, and this time circular leather washers, hold the early production 1857 pattern wappen in place. Several other holes can be seen in the body where other wappen had been in place in years past. Painted inside the neckguard is a date of 1853 and the unit information for the Fusilier Battalion, 12th Regiment (FB12R). Admittidley the helmet is in poor condition, however it has not been plundered for spare parts. It's original large pattern Prussian kokard is intact as are the original stirrup-style retaining nuts and a great early style wappen. With the unit markings intact allows excellent research potential.