Prussian Landwehr Ersatz Felt Artillery Pickelhaube

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Above and Below: This one came out of an estate sale in a small central Georgia town.  The interior gives a few clues.  There is still a dirt dobber nest in the spike/ball base of the Pickelhaube, indicating that it likely was in the barn or attic for some time.  The Pickelhaube also has two sets of holes in the interior, which I would normally shy away from, however, both of these sets have metal grommets, and the Landwehr plate matches up perfectly with one set.  I think it is likely that the Pickelhaube was issued originally with a line eagle and later reissued with the Landwehr plate.  There are a mix of pre-war and wartime parts on the Pickelhaube.  I saw this in others I collected many years ago, long before the reproductions were so common from Ukraine.  It has one cockade which is the Prussian one along with the chinstrap end.  If it had been on Ebay, I think I would have been too suspicious of this one to go for it but considering how I found it, I tend to believe it is real out of the woodwork find that is correct as is. Also, the price was so low there would have been more expense in making up a reproduction shell and original parts set on the current market.