Original Item: Only One Available. This is an outstanding original Imperial German WWI Kingdom of Saxony Artillery Officer's Kugelhelm, featuring a scarce Depaheg Patent vulcan fibre shell, gilt brass officer fittings, and the distinctive ball-shaped finial associated with German artillery regiments. The helmet retains its elaborate Saxon officer's front plate, original officer-pattern chin scales, correctly positioned Saxon and Imperial cockades, and interior leather sweatband bearing the embossed DEPAHEG PATENT marking. Particularly noteworthy is the excellent preservation of the vulcan fibre shell, an uncommon alternative to the traditional lacquered leather construction of Imperial German Pickelhauben. The helmet is marked size 58 inside the crown and retains its original silk skull-cap lining, although the lining has suffered tearing and damage to some of its wooden supporting components. There is also some denting and crazing to the shell, age-related deformation of the rear visor, and looseness to two of the star-pattern mounting rivets. Despite these condition issues, the helmet remains an impressive example of privately purchased Saxon artillery officer headgear from the Imperial period.
Unlike the standard black lacquered leather Pickelhaube, this privately purchased officer helmet has a shell manufactured from vulcan fibre, an early hardened cellulose-based material. The leather sweatband is blind embossed with the manufacturer's distinctive logo and:

DEPAHEG PATENT

Depaheg Patent is specifically associated with vulcan fibre Pickelhauben, and surviving officer and enlisted examples bearing this marking are well documented. These fibre shells are encountered considerably less frequently than conventional leather helmets and can be vulnerable to cracking or breakage from impact, making the excellent preservation of this example especially noteworthy. The rear leather visor shows some bending and denting from age, but the front visor is in better shape.

The Pickelhaube of commissioned officers holding a rank from Lieutenant to Colonel are all identical in features, but not quality. The quality of helmets within these ranks depended entirely on how much the individual wished to spend. A lowly Lieutenant's helmet may be of much higher quality than one worn by a Colonel. As expected, officer helmets were of a much higher quality than the issued version and utilized the "squared finger" liners until 1880, when the internal leather sweatband and silk skull-cap came into use.

Regardless of the unit, officer Pickelhaube share common features such as: the undersides of visors are lined, Officer Kokarden are carried, and the "egg & dart" Perlring was matched with star-pattern spike base brads, and chinscales were worn. The officer's Pickelhaube was basically unchanged from 1871 to 1899 when it had a more domed shape, and from 1899 to the end it had more of a skull shape. Otherwise, with the exception of the addition of the Reich's Kokarde in 1897, the officer's Haube was mostly the same from 1871 to 1918.

This helmet features a wappen (front plate) with a gilt brass star, on top of which is a "German Silver" coat of arms of the Königreich Sachsen (Kingdom of Saxony), which is surrounded by leaves and topped by a King's Crown. The front plate is affixed by the late 19th century pattern nuts and bolts, which were replaced by leather wedges near the turn of the century. The “cannonball” ball finial is in excellent condition, but the ball base shows denting with two of the star rivets now loose and spinning around.

The chin scales are in very good condition, solid and functional with nearly full leather behind them and large split pin attachment present. The full buckle is intact as well. The helmet retains both original officer’s cockades, correctly smooth-edged for Saxony. The Saxon state cockade is finished in green and white, while the Imperial cockade displays the national colors of red, white, and black. Following the introduction of the Imperial cockade in 1897, the national cockade was worn on the right side of the helmet and the state cockade on the left. Both are positioned correctly on this example. The survival of both officer pattern cockades is particularly desirable, as these privately purchased fittings are often missing or replaced on helmets encountered today.

This example is embossed on the sweatband with a logo and DEPAHEG PATENT. This was a maker of pickelhaubes who exclusively made them in Vulcan Fibre, an early form of plastic. This is one of the most difficult “Ersatz” materials to find, as the shells were often easily broken as a result of trauma. This example appears to correctly have leather front and rear visors but a Vulcan Fibre body. The body is in very good condition, but there is some denting in the back and some moderate crazing, and it appears to have been applied with an oil, making it quite shiny. 

The interior silk skull cap lining shows tearing with some breakage of the wooden pieces holding it together. The interior crown is inscribed with the size, 58.

This Imperial German Kingdom of Saxony artillery officer Kugelhelm is a particularly informative example of privately purchased military headgear from the late Imperial period. Its elaborate Saxon Wappen, original officer chin scales, correctly positioned smooth-edged cockades, and distinctive artillery ball finial preserve the principal identifying features of a Saxon artillery officer's helmet. The DEPAHEG PATENT marking and vulcan fibre shell are especially significant, documenting an alternative manufacturing method that is encountered less frequently than traditional leather construction. Although the helmet exhibits localized shell crazing, rear visor deformation, loose ball-base rivets, and damage to the interior silk lining, it retains substantial original construction and decorative detail. The combination of its unusual shell material, complete Saxon officer fittings, and identifiable patent marking makes it a noteworthy example of Imperial German artillery headgear from the period surrounding the First World War.