Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition Imperial German Grand Duchy of Hesseenlisted man's Mannschaften (other ranks) pickelhaube. The M1895 was the final pre-1914 evolution in a long series of spiked helmets. It displays lovely condition brass Hessian helmet plate and comes complete with original leather liner. The spike on top denotes infantry issue and retains correct brass chin strap lugs and has added chinscales.

This helmet features a brass frontplate (wappen), and the crown of this leather helmet displays a vented enlisted removable spike mounted on a brass baseplate. There is also the small adjustable vent on the spine that supports the rear skirt, only seen on the enlisted helmets.

The front wappen features "Crowned Lion" of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, with two tails holding a Sword, with bands visible on the body. In color, the lion would be red and white, the Hessian state Colors. The Lion is standing on a platform, with a wreath surrounding it made of Laurels on the left and Oak Leaves on the right. It is held in place by the standard leather wedges on the inside of the shell, which are both in good shape.

It is complete with the Hessian (Red and Silver) and German National Colors (red white and black) Kokarden (cockades) around the chin strap lugs. In 1897 the new Reichs-Kokarde in Red-White-Black was introduced for all ranks to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kaiser Wilhelm 1st. The Reichs-Kokarde was to be worn on the right side of the helmet, and the state Kokarde was moved to the left, as on this helmet. The Attached chin strap is complete, with the expected wear, with good condition buckles.

The interior features a nice original leather liner, which shows only light use. All fingers are intact, though there are minor repairs and the top string is a replacement. We could not find any legible markings.

The exterior of the helmet shell is really in great shape, with a nice shiny enamel finish, with only slight age deterioration. There are however some scratches and areas of missing finish. The front and rear visors are still attached with intact stitching, another rarity. The fittings are mostly tight to the helmet, with a movable vent and correct unremovable top spike. This is one of the better examples that we have seen lately.

Overall a very good condition Imperial German pickelhaube from the Grand Duchy of Hesse, perfect for any WWI collection!