Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very good original Imperial German WWI Prussian enlisted infantry Ersatz Filzhelm Pickelhaube, representing one of the simplified felt helmet patterns manufactured during the material shortages of the early war period. The helmet is formed from pressed felt rather than the traditional blackened leather shell and retains brass M1895-style fittings, a Prussian enlisted Wappen, fixed infantry spike, original-style leather liner with drawstring, both national and state cockades, and the original leather wedges securing the front plate. The leather chinstrap is a modern reproduction fitted for display.

The enormous expansion of the German Army following mobilization in 1914 created an immediate demand for helmets and other equipment that established leather manufacturers could not satisfy quickly enough. Germany consequently adopted a variety of Ersatz, or substitute-material, Pickelhauben made from materials including pressed felt, sheet metal, and other alternatives. The Imperial War Museums describes the felt Filzhaube as the first of a number of substitute Pickelhaube types, constructed from pressed felt and fitted with conventional metal hardware.

Germany already possessed a substantial felt-manufacturing industry, making pressed felt a logical substitute for the labor-intensive leather shell. Specialist references describe many wartime Filzhelme as being pressed and blocked from rabbit felt, usually as a largely one-piece shell. Early examples were commonly fitted with the same brass or silver-colored hardware used on the M1895 leather Pickelhaube, while later wartime production increasingly incorporated steel fittings as strategic metals became more restricted.

This example is one of the simplified forms in which the normal metal front visor trim and rear reinforcing spine were omitted. Instead, the felt is rolled and finished around the visor edge. Comparable surviving Prussian Ersatz felt helmets from late 1914 are documented with this same simplified construction, retaining brass fittings while omitting both the visor trim and rear spine. The absence of these fittings reduced the amount of metal and manufacturing work required and left the felt shell itself responsible for maintaining much of the helmet’s shape.

This helmet features a lovely gold-colored alloy frontplate (wappen) with the Prussian state eagle clutching a scepter and crown, over the King's motto, MIT GOTT FÜR KOENIG UND VATERLAND (With God for King and Country, i.e. Prussia). The Preußen issued Wappen in 1895 were intended to be made out of Tombak (an alloy made from a combination of copper and zinc) but it seems that the copper-color was unpopular and they were soon replaced with Aluminiumbronze which has a very bright brass appearance.

The crown of this leather helmet displays a brass vented enlisted spike mounted on a brass baseplate. The spike is in good condition, and as per the pattern, is fixed and does not rotate. There is some minor denting at the tip. It is complete with the Prussian (black and white) and German National Colors (red white and black) kokarden (cockades) around the chin strap lugs, but the Prussian cockade appears to be a different material, likely pressed paper. We are unsure if this is a period Ersatz replacement or a well-made reproduction.

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 leather chinstrap fitted between the side posts is a modern reproduction with metal fittings. It completes the exterior appearance but should not be considered an original wartime component.

The interior retains a black leather enlisted-pattern liner with its drawstring still present. The liner shows normal age and use but remains substantially complete. The shell itself is in particularly good condition for a pressed-felt helmet, retaining its overall form without major distortion or extensive moth damage. There is scattered dirt, staining, and age-related surface wear, with some minor mothing on the underside of the visors, but no major structural loss is noted. No readable unit, depot, manufacturer, or size markings remain inside the helmet.

The helmet appears relatively large and is estimated at approximately 58-59 cm.

This is a particularly interesting example of the rapid material substitutions adopted by the Imperial German Army during the first part of WWI. Its simplified rolled-edge felt shell, absence of the conventional visor trim and rear spine, brass M1895-style fittings, Prussian front plate with surviving leather retaining wedges, original liner, and unusual state cockade preserve many of the features that distinguish early wartime Ersatz Filzhelme. The reproduction chinstrap and uncertain Prussian cockade are the principal originality considerations, while the remarkably well-preserved felt shell remains the defining feature of the helmet.