Description
This is an officer pickelhaube from one of Saxony’s line infantry regiments. There were fourteen line regiments by 1897 that wore pickelhauben. There was also one regiment that wore a shako.
Our offering today has a pleasing leather body. There are a couple of blemishes and an area of minor spider-ing which we will show in the photographs that accompany this description. The front visor is squared.
The wappen has a gold sunburst with a silver coat of arms for Saxony in the center. The crown atop the coat of arms is open or voided. All of the remaining furniture to include the officer stars are gilt. The spike detaches on a screw mount. The officer kokarden are the wonderful pattern used by Saxony, Württemberg, Hesse-Darmstadt, Baden, and Mecklenburg-Schwerin used this same pattern instead of the Prussian pattern. I personal prefer this pattern to the Prussian. First there are not as many units that used it but artistically I feel like these are more interesting.
Turning to the interior we find an uncommon brown leather sweatband with white laces. Attached to this we see a well used brown (?) Silk liner with perspiration stains and some shredding. Underneath the silk we see an interesting manufacturers label which may give us a clue to the regiment of the original owner. The label indicates the size of the helmet (55) and that it comes from Leipzig. Leipzig was the home of Königl. Sächs. 7. Infanterie-Regiment König Georg Nr 106 and Königl. Sächs. 8. Infanterie-Regiment Prinz Johann Georg Nr 107. Both of these regiments were founded in 1708 and were assigned to the Saxon XIX. Armeekorps. Now these are but clues and it is quite possible that officers from other regiments “shopped” in Leipzig.
Overall a fine spike helmet with some interesting history to it.
