Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an exceptional named Imperial German Prussian officer’s Pickelhaube configured for a Landwehr officer associated with the 2. Hannoversches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16, one of the former Hanoverian cavalry regiments entitled to display the battle honor WATERLOO. The black lacquered leather helmet retains its distinctive silver-colored Dragoon fittings, cruciform spike base, officer cockades and chinscales, Landwehr-pattern eagle plate with applied cross, separate Waterloo bandeau, leather-and-silk officer liner, and an interior name inscription reading Sprengel. The crown also bears an unusual NSDAP eagle-and-swas property or inventory stamp apparently dating from the German WWII period.

The 2. Hannoversches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16 traced its recognized regimental ancestry to a Hussar formation raised at Lüneburg by Lieutenant Colonel Albrecht von Estorff on September 24, 1813. Initially known as the Estorff or Lüneburg Hussars, it entered Hanoverian service in 1814 and was redesignated the Husaren-Regiment des Prinzregenten in March 1815. The regiment participated in the Waterloo campaign, and on August 18, 1815 was authorized to display a Vaterlandsbandeau bearing the inscription WATERLOO on its headdress. Following the Prussian annexation of Hanover after the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, a new Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16 was established, and in 1867 it received the title 2. Hannoversches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16, perpetuating the traditions of the former Hanoverian cavalry formation.

The overall condition of this officer's pickelhaube is excellent. Almost all of the helmet's furniture is highly-detailed silvered nickel alloy, with a lovely tarnished patina across.

The helmet’s most distinctive feature is its silver-colored Prussian Dragoon eagle Wappen, which carries the separate battle-honor bandeau WATERLOO. Surviving officer helmets attributed to Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 16 are documented with the same silver Prussian Dragoon eagle and WATERLOO bandeau, together with silver-colored helmet furniture and contrasting gilt fittings. Kaiser Wilhelm II’s January 24, 1899 authorization extended Napoleonic battle distinctions to a number of Prussian regiments preserving Hanoverian military traditions, making the Waterloo distinction a particularly important feature of later Imperial-era helmets associated with these formations.

This cast silver frontplate (wappen) depicts a Prussian state eagle clutching a scepter and crown, with a brass landwehr Iron Cross fitted into a recess in the chest of the eagle, which is marked in very small text with the Kingdom of Prussia's Motto:

mit Gott
Für König
und Vaterland
1813

This translates to "With God for King and Country," i.e. Prussia, over the year 1813, when King Frederick William III of Prussia established the Iron Cross award. It is held in place by the correct square bolts. The Landwehr cross on the chest and lack of Fatherland Bandeau denotes this Wappen as Landwehr; Reserve would carry the Landwehr cross on the tail feathers.

Officers of this regiment were allowed to add the "Waterloo" banner to their existing helmet plate, which is what we believe this officer did. He looks to have already had the Landwehr cross applied, as there is a cross-shaped indent in the wappen itself for this purpose. This identifies the wearer as a Landwehr officer in the Hanoverian 16th Dragoons.

Both kokarden (cockades) are present, and are of high-end two piece construction, with detailed casting. In 1897 a 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. The paint on both is still almost completely intact, and they look great. They are kept in place by brass bosses attached to a great set of brass chinscales, still attached at the center by the hook and loop but the leather chinstrap underneath appears a bit weak.

The officer spike atop the helmet is intricately decorated at the base with the usual "egg and dart" motif. The top of the spike screws off for the attachment of a parade plume. Additionally, this pickelhaube has the old-style cruciform spike base, which after 1860 was still used ONLY by the Prussian Dragoon regiments. All other Prussian groups moved to a round base. This base still retains all 4 of the brass stars.

The shape of the pickelhaube is rather outstanding considering its age, with just some minor cracking and crazing across.

The inside liner is still present, complete with the original beige colored silk skull cap, which is in worn condition, though it does have some splits, tears and definitely shows wear. The leather portion of the liner is nice and supple, with some staining and cracking. It is in worn condition, but these are exceedingly rare in any condition. The sweatband is inscribed with the name Sprengel.

The 16th Hanoverian Dragoons (historically designated as Alt-Sprengel during the Seven Years' War) trace their lineage back to an 18th-century cavalry unit of the Electorate of Hanover, later receiving traditional perpetuation in the 19th-century German Imperial Army. It came under the proprietorship (Inhaber) of August Heinrich von Sprengel in 1761, earning the familiar moniker Alt-Sprengel, which may be why this name is inscribed on the liner. It could also have been worn by a descendent of August Heinrich von Sprengel who served in the regiment, but without any existing roster we cannot say for sure.

The interior crown of the helmet has a very interesting stamp, with the first character being a German WWII NSDAP eagle clutching a swas, followed by IL7 : 316. This is certainly some sort of archival or museum stamp, meaning the helmet was on display somewhere or perhaps in government storage during the WWII period, a very interesting detail. Underneath this stamp is the handwritten helmet size, 56½.

This is an especially compelling Imperial German officer’s helmet because several unusual elements survive together: the silver-colored Prussian Dragoon fittings, WATERLOO battle-honor bandeau, contrasting Landwehr officer cross, cruciform Dragoon spike base, complete officer cockades and chinscales, original leather-and-silk liner, Sprengel inscription, and later German eagle-and-swas inventory marking. The silk liner tears, light crazing, and unidentified nature of the WWII-era stamp are the principal condition and research considerations, while the helmet’s overall form and highly specialized regimental insignia remain exceptionally well preserved.