Original Item: Only One Available. This is a service-worn but visually impressive Imperial German WWI Bavarian infantry officer’s Pickelhaube of the Model 1886/1914 pattern, retaining its brass fittings, tall fluted spike, officer’s cruciform spike base, Bavarian front plate, chin scales, and rear spine.

The helmet has undergone several repairs and alterations during its long history. The interior liner was replaced many years ago, the cockades appear incorrect (Prussian), and the front visor has become detached from its original stitching and was later reattached. The black lacquered leather shell also shows surface loss, shrinkage, and deterioration.

Despite these condition issues, the helmet retains the unmistakable appearance of a Royal Bavarian Army officer’s Pickelhaube from the opening period of WWI.

The Bavarian Model 1886 represented the kingdom’s adoption of the leather spiked helmet already associated with Prussia and other German states. Bavarian examples remained visually distinctive through their cruciform spike bases and front plates displaying the royal coat of arms.

Unlike most Prussian infantry helmets, Bavarian officer Pickelhauben were fitted with a square front visor, cruciform spike base, and tall fluted spike. Officer helmets were further distinguished by star-shaped retaining studs and decorative trim around the spike base.

The top of this helmet retains the correct tall, fluted officer’s spike.

The spike can be unscrewed from the base, allowing the helmet to be fitted with a parade plume for ceremonial occasions.

Beneath it is the distinctive Bavarian cruciform spike base. The base is secured by officer-quality star-shaped retaining studs, one of the principal features identifying the helmet as an officer’s example.

The lower edge of the spike assembly displays the decorative egg-and-dart pattern commonly called the Perlring. This ornamental treatment is characteristic of officer-quality fittings.

The brass front plate, or Wappen, displays the crowned Bavarian coat of arms supported by two lions.

Below the arms is the Bavarian royal motto:

IN TREUE FEST

This translates approximately as:

Steadfast in Loyalty

The front plate is the modified 1914 officer pattern. Compared with the earlier Model 1886 plate, the 1914 version was reduced and simplified by removing the leafy branches and ornamental vines formerly intertwined around the supporting lions.

The plate remains visually impressive but is somewhat loose because the leather shell has shrunk and deteriorated beneath it.

Heavy surface wear and material loss are visible on the black leather, particularly behind and below the front plate.

The helmet currently retains two black-and-white cockades that appear to be Prussian state cockades. These are not the correct pair for a Bavarian officer’s helmet. Beginning in 1897, a Bavarian helmet should display the blue-and-white Bavarian state cockade on the wearer’s left side and the red, white, and black Imperial Reich cockade on the wearer’s right.

It is possible that one cockade has suffered enough paint loss to obscure traces of its original blue coloration. However, neither currently displays the correct red, white, and black Imperial color arrangement, so they are conservatively described as incorrect replacements.

The cockades are retained by a set of officer-quality brass chin scales. The scales have a slightly convex profile and are secured directly to the helmet. Bavarian officer regulations changed in February 1914 to introduce convex chin scales across officer Pickelhauben, including infantry examples, making this feature consistent with the helmet’s Model 1886/1914 configuration. The chin scales remain substantially complete and present well.

There is, however, heavy wear to the leather shell behind them. The surrounding material should be handled carefully to prevent further tearing or separation.

The helmet retains its correct square front visor with brass edge trim.

The brass trim remains in good overall condition but is somewhat loose.

The visor itself shows deterioration and areas where the black finish has softened, distorted, or developed the “melted” appearance frequently encountered on aged lacquered leather helmets.

The front visor appears to have separated from the helmet body after its original stitching failed.

It was reattached at some point, but little or none of the original stitching now remains securely connected. The visor currently sags and should be supported carefully during handling or display.

The rear visor remains attached, and its original stitching is still substantially intact.

A brass rear spine extends from the cruciform spike base to the lower edge of the rear visor. It remains in very good condition and helps reinforce the back of the helmet.

The interior is fitted with a black leather replacement liner.

The replacement liner shows considerable age and could have been installed during the helmet’s period of use or during the early postwar era. However, no documentation accompanies the helmet, so its exact date of installation cannot be confirmed.

It should be described simply as an old, period-style replacement rather than the helmet’s original factory liner.

The interior skull cap remains present.

No owner’s name, unit stamp, size marking, or manufacturer’s mark was located.

The black lacquered leather shell shows substantial age and service wear.

Condition issues include:

Heavy loss and deterioration of the leather surface beneath the front plate
Shrinkage of the leather shell
Loose brass fittings caused by shrinkage
Detached and poorly reattached front visor
Missing or failed front visor stitching
Sagging front visor
Loose front visor trim
Finish deterioration on the visor
Heavy wear behind the chin scales
Old replacement liner
Incorrect or heavily altered cockades
General scratches, scuffs, cracking, and age-related distortion

The Pickelhaube provided relatively little protection against the artillery fragments, shrapnel, and other hazards of modern industrial warfare.

During WWI it was commonly worn beneath a cloth helmet cover, which reduced the visibility of its reflective brass fittings. By 1916, German forces were increasingly issued the new steel Stahlhelm, which offered far greater battlefield protection.

The Pickelhaube nevertheless remained one of the defining symbols of the Imperial German Army and continued to appear in rear-area, dress, and ceremonial use through the end of the war.

Bavaria retained its own monarchy, military traditions, uniforms, and insignia within the German Empire. The combination of the Bavarian coat of arms and Imperial cockade system symbolized the soldier’s loyalty both to the Kingdom of Bavaria and to the wider German Empire.

This helmet’s condition reflects more than a century of use, repair, storage, and leather shrinkage. It is not a high-condition or untouched example, but it retains many of the officer features that give Bavarian Pickelhauben their distinctive appearance.

The cruciform spike base, star retainers, egg-and-dart decoration, tall fluted spike, brass Bavarian Wappen, officer chin scales, square visor, and rear spine combine to create an impressive display despite the replaced and damaged components.

A character-filled Royal Bavarian infantry officer’s helmet representing the final ornate generation of Pickelhaube worn as the German Army entered the modern warfare of WWI.