Hessen 25th Field Artillery Officers Pickelhaube

Hessen 25th Field Artillery Regiment Officer Model 1897- post 1915. Black lacquered leather helmet body with gilded brass trim. Exterior leather finish has crackled with age with minimal lacquer loss. Visor stitching is firm. All metal trim has not been cleaned or polished. The trim also has even patina throughout. Interior has leather sweat leather and silk headliner. The sweat leather has an 18mm hole (see photos). Officers red and green coverings inside helmet visors. The silk headliner is in good condition, The helmet has an equal sided crossed spiked base with officer ornamentation around base. This ornamentation was ONLY used by Hessen Artillery Regiments and General Officers. A removable ball ornament is on top of the base.

Rounded front visor trim. The frontplate is the Hessen Lion holding an upward sword. The frontplate is held to the helmet body with screw attachment. One of the screw posts has separate from the back of the frontplate. It is included with the helmet. The backspine is the tradional Hessen style with rivet on the spine (see photo). The turned over edge of the backspine that attaches to the inner portion of the back visor has been broken off. On top of the Lion has been placed the vaulted Hessen Guard Star (like the one used by the 115th officers) but with added crossed swords. The Guard star with Crossed swords was awarded to Officers of the 25th Field Artillery and the 23rd Dragoon Regiment in April 1915 for valorous service in WWI. It was customary for the star threaded screws to pass through the helmet body and be mounted independently from the frontplate. Helmets made after the original award date were mounted to the Hessen frontplate by the manufacturer. Rounded chinscales on rosettes. Officers Reich and Hessen cockades. The helmet and frontplate are 100% original. We believe this helmet is a genuine piece to the 1915 award date. 

Like others in the Collection, this helmet is quite salty and has been in a Collection since the 1950-60’s. We have not changed or altered the helmet in any way. The collector found most of his helmets from local vets and antique shops in New England. We think this was one of his lucky finds.