German Spiked Helmets Pickelhauben: 101: An Introduction and Advice to Buyers

You ever said to yourself, "I really need to get a WW1 German Spiked Helmet!" Sure we all have...where to start? Right here: This Video provides an brief introduction and overview of spiked German helmets ( Pickelhaube ) for the new collector or arm chair historian. Focus on WW1 helmets using my limited collection. Note costs information is based on me poking around eBay for 10 minutes on Feb 7 2019. A complete original museum quality 1895 Infantry Pickelhaube will cost well over 1000 USD, in complete but poor condition that helmet can be bought for 350 USD and up. In the video I reference a price of 600USD for a felt Erzatz Pickelhaube that would be lowest price for a common but complete and poor condition helmet. Please do watch out for fakes.
note erzatz metal fake is Mecklenburg state I was wrong -. would be a rare helmet indeed if real, but it is a total fake ( live and learn )
please see these sites for more
www.pickelhaubes.com/bb/
www.kaisersbunker.com/pt/index...
www.greatwarforum.org/forum/1...
below commercial but with a lot of info and ref material
www.saxoniamilitaria.com/items...
www.prussianglory.com/home/pre...

[@PaganMil]

4:33 when you graduate in high school but you live in east prussia .

[@andrewdonovan219]

The construction helmet one is mecklenburg not saxony. See if that's a real plate because that is actually a rare one if it is.

[@acmelka]

Thanks much. I stand corrected. Sadly when I take plate off it doesn't seem to be evenly aged it's very chromed and bright on the back and under brass emblem. Too bright flaking off in spots as well. The state brass emblem relief and detail not sharp and crisp. Brass portion attached to chrome with one screw w square brass bolt that looks less than 100 years old afraid it's a fake from top to bottom. Buyer be ware fakes multiply and with 3d printing and advances in metal fabrication I fear they multiply exponentially.

[@brittakriep2938]

Some notes: The Lederhelm mit Spitze ( i refuse to use Pickelhaube) was used by line infantry and dragons ( once dragons had been only mounted infantrymen for fast moving). Light infantry ( Jäger) ,elder reserve soldiers ( Landwehr, perhaps also Landsturm) and socalled ,technical troops'. The artillery helmets you described well. But to the Tschapka of the Ulanen: Tschapka is the polish name for cap ( the origin of Ulanen was Poland) and the ,tip down' pyramide is also a relict of polish caps, see the caps of current polish President's Guard. Also there had been some pre 1870 non prussian caps and helmets used by non prussian Palace guards ( in 1888 Bavaria was the last german state which replaced the bavarian Raupenhelm with the prussian Modell. For not forgetting, the Hussars had the cylindrical für covered Hussarenmütze.

[@acmelka]

Thank you for sharing your extensive expertise ! I have never heard that pickelhaube was not the terminology of the time very interesting. I'm going to check you in some period primary sources. Will follow up. Thanks again.

[@brittakriep2938]

@@acmelka : In my first comment was a mistake : The headgear of Jäger etc. was called ,Tschako', after wwl this ,helmet' replaced the ,Helm mit Spitze' as police headgear, to show ,now there is a new era'. After wwll this helmet was fastly replaced by other kind of caps. But West Berlin police had this helmet up to 1968 or 1969, i don' t know why.

[@acmelka]

Thanks again for flushing out the content here with your impressive expertise. It's a fascinating area of collecting to be sure.

[@edpowell5754]

From Buffalo, New York. Thank You for all the information, I learned a few things.

[@konven49]

I just bought one so I'm looking forward to it

[@JH-xf3zr]

Love your collection man

[@acmelka]

Thanks much!

[@michael7324]

Great collection. Thanks for sharing the info.

[@kadeberrier3799]

Love the Baden Kraetzchen. What is marked in it?

[@Sniper_1001]

I own an original m17 stalhelm form the 1st german foot guard. I bought if for $160. found out that its worth more like $1200. one in worse condition sold for $1k and the shield decal was in worse condition and dint have the red 1 on the back to show its form the 1st regiment

[@verjiniahary]

Great collection man love it

[@Godzilla0936]

I've been researching how to authenticate picklauble helmet because there's a shop near me with one

[@acmelka]

I suggest kaisers bunker and pickelhaubes.com for starters. Good luck

[@robertrivera9162]

How was the helmet covers secured onto the helmet?

[@acmelka]

Little metal hook like clips that fit over the edge of the leather shell. Usually 2 in front 3 in back I think.

[@424io]

What type of metal are the early pickelhaube Spikes composed of?

[@brittakriep2938]

At first the word Pickelhaube is not official, it is simply ,Helm mit Spitze' ( helmet with point). The metal is ,Messing'/ brass. The helmets of Kürassiere/ cuirassiers had been mostly of steel or , in case of other heavy cavallry or palace units of copperbased alloys. I hope, this helps.

[@acmelka]

Thanks for picking that question up. I started looking at a complete answer and got lost in the weeds. The helm came in a vast variety of types and quality ( esp when you look at erzatz late manufacturer or private purchase high quality officer or government titled big shots) from many manufacturers over its life so no one answer to the question. Britta Kriep done good. I too hope that helps.

[@brittakriep2938]

@@acmelka : I am not Britta herself, but her boyfriend. As a teenager, i am 55 now, i visited with my parents a no more existing military collection at Bartenstein Palace ( this is somewhere in the nowhere :-)).There i saw two Versions of this ,cheap replacement helmets'. One was made of felt with a very small point, point and coat of arms made of ,greyish' Metall, the other one was made of stamped sheet metal (Blech) and painted. For the case, you can travel to Germany, two tips for southern Germany: Bairisches Armeemuseum/ Museum of ( former) bavarian army at Ingolstadt and Wehrgeschichtliches Museum/ museum of military history at Rastatt.

[@acmelka]

@@brittakriep2938 I will make a note of your travel recommendations l One hopes international travel will once again be feasible soon. I am dying to get to Europe again. Anywhere, over a year since I've been on a plane or more than 200km from home. Strange times indeed. The late war erzatz examples of basically everything are very instructive in the suffering and shortages of the German people and military as they fought on against far better supplied and a rapidly increasing allied coalition. Some of the erzatz stuff was honestly junk that would have been outright rejected and the vendor banned a few years earlier. I thought Britta was generally a woman's name and if that was the case what a rare woman to have such expertise in imperial German head gear :-). Danke

[@HenryTendy]

Hello there i found a pickelhaube in ebay but i didn't know if it's a mini or a wearable one, can you help me?

[@acmelka]

Send a link I'll take a look

[@marschallblucher6197]

Doesn't Sweden still use the pickelhaube? On the royal life guards. It looks alot more shiny like it's made from silver or steel instead of leather.

[@acmelka]

Yes. They do. In Imperial Germany some elite regiments like the Garde du Corps also wore a steel with nickel plate metal version. The flaps at the back have it The nickname of 'lobster tail' pickelhauben. Many countries still use them in ceremonial and parade capacity. Bolivia, Chile and Argentina to name a few. The originals are highly sought collectibles and fakes abound. Thanks!

[@brittakriep2938]

@@acmelka : The Metall version of the spiked helmet ( please don' t use Pickelhaube, this was NEVER the offical name) had been made of steel or copperbased mixes, had mostly not been a sign of ,Elite', they had been simply the helmets of prussian and bavarian cuirassiers and saxon heavy cavallry. There had been some non mounted ,Palace only' units also, but for example, the prussian ,Leibgendarmen' had an uniform similar to Gendarmerie/ State police, but a Metall Helmer, because the ,Leibgendarmen' had been ,picked men' from two cuirassier regiments.

[@LowellMorgan]

Can anyone tell me about the square-topped ones, I think they’re cavalry?

[@scotttyson607]

Yes they are ulhan chapkas. (Lancers)

[@poopsiedoodlesp8506]

I don't know where to get a good repro, ebay ones always go up above 800

[@rusky2655]

hessen antique can be fairly cheap

[@matsnyster4687]

Soldier of fortune

[@kadeberrier3799]

Keith Allen on Facebook makes great repros for a good price.

[@captaindecade4705]

Just bought one from epicmilitaria!

[@FriedrichWilhelmViktorAlbert]

International Military Antiques

[@heddwikkg1982]

Nice!

[@m4tt655]

You......are...... thicker than a snicker, heavy like a Chevy.

[@oscarbelmare_22]

I have one from the No. 90 Brunswick Infantry Division

[@acmelka]

Nice!

[@oscarbelmare_22]

@@acmelka thank you 👍

[@avus-kw2f213]

you know a hat is good when it’s a symbol of an entire empire What’s the equivalent for the Roman or British Empire ?

[@acmelka]

Galea? For Rome, and Bowler ? for Britain... Maybe the overseas helmet during 19th century 🫤

[@thereseodell9308]

Would you be able to help me identify a pickelhaube?

[@yelocalwierdo2440]

Send me pic

[@FriedrichWilhelmViktorAlbert]

Yes, describe it to me and I can. I know the ins and outs if them

[@trygveblacktiger597]

I read the spike was to deflect sabers cuts from calvary

[@acmelka]

I have run across that over the years. I am pretty certain it's totally wrong. if you have ever held a say 1796 British 'Light' Cavalry Saber for example ...and a leather bodied pickelhauben well it just doesn't add up. The spike wouldn't accomplish much. Afraid this is an old bit of confusion much like the M 18 cut-out Stalhelm s being 'telegrafer' whatever. It wasn't. The spike was a military fashion in the 19th century. Even the US had spikes for sun helmets at one point but they the spikes were for 'parade'

[@ibloodynemesisi1934]

@@acmelka well it actually was though. It was designed to deflect blows that come from above. There are similar designs for the Same pupose like the bavarian „Raupenhelm“ . Firefighters for example often had a „comb“ on their helmets for a similar purpose, for deflecting debris falling on them in a burning house. I dont want to sound rude, but you not finding it plausible doesnt matter.

[@acmelka]

@@ibloodynemesisi1934 huh.... It's true about the ridge on the top of leather fire helmets, so I won't rule it out as the original intent. Even if it wouldn't have helped with a sabre coming down on your skull much. I'd be very interested in primary sources stating the spike was protective if you have them ad I have been told it was decorative since I started collecting and it's common to find that opinion online and in print. Thanks for your comment I think we can agree that by the first world war any protection afforded by the spike was nul and I'm fact the distinctive point bobbing above the trench line got a lot of Germans killed by snipers. This the order for removable spikes. Later war the pickelhaubren was ordered NOT to be used in front lines and the erzatz metal ones had warning labeled saying not for front line use.

[@acmelka]

Oh I should mention I don't have any primary reference saying that the point was decorative only in terms of original design. They must be out there one way or the other as on adoption of the helmets the popular press would have written on it. (unlike some WWI German collecting questions, which are likely to be debated endlessly, the German National Archive of the Great Wat was destroyed during ww2, estimated1/3 of books in libraries in all of Germany and +60% of state records of all kinds.

[@purplep9150]

@@acmelka i know i am very late here, but i think the british marines around the same time had something similar to the artillery spiked helmet, where a ball would be placed on top of their pith helmets, just thought i would add something to the whole "shape on a hat" thing, lol

[@davespeedee]

I have 2 1871 authentic pickelhaube helmets. Would you be interested?

[@tsardeans1124]

Are they still available?

[@davespeedee]

@@tsardeans1124 sold

[@zandergarmo2887]

How do u make sure you get a real one

[@acmelka]

I don't have a simple answer for that question. It is challenging given the quality of reproductions and fakes. I do have these suggestions:. 1. Buy from well know dealer or auction house who offer a certificate of authenticity and refunds and returns if not genuine. IMA, Manions, Great War Militaria, Flanagan's Arms type businesses come to mind as offering guaranteed original pieces. Note you pay a premium for this level of professionalism. 2. If buying from eBay, be cautious look for established sellers of militaria with good feedback and returns. 3. Read up on Pickelhauben and how to spot fakes:. www.kaisersbunker.com/index2.htm Is a good start. Finally when it comes to pickelhaube if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Don't fall for the rare helmet at a low price from a seller who 'knows nothing about this'. Sure it could happen. But you would be taking advantage of someone's ignorance if it was real but it isn't ... Good luck happy collecting. The good news is that spending on good stuff especially spiked helmets of imperial Germany is a sound investment or has been the past 20+ years. They are more valuable ( expensive) every year.

[@zandergarmo2887]

@@acmelka thank you I will check some of the websites out and now I don’t have to worry about getting scammed on eBay. Great collection and keep it up!

[@AA-xk7gy]

Don’t buy from IMA you’ll pay and arm and leg and never be able to make money back

[@oktupol]

In Treue fest = Strong in unity

[@acmelka]

Thanks! Much better

[@brittakriep2938]

The words on the coat of arms sign are the Wappenspruch or Devise of the ruling noble family.

[@MMadesen]

No, Treue means something along the lines of faithfullness or loyalty, also allegiance. Its related to the english word Truth amd true. So "In Treue fest" translates to Strong/Solid in Faithfullness.

[@ProfLars]

You mixed the national and state Kokarden but otherwise a good video!

[@acmelka]

Thank you. And thanks spotting my mistake. I made a few...

[@ProfLars]

@@acmelka Everyone makes them, that's what makes us human. The world wouldn't be as much fun without them anyways. :D

[@WilhelminaHelenaPaulineMarie]

Not to be mean but, if he says "UHHH" one more time I'm going to scream.

[@acmelka]

Umm. Thanks for the feedback. Not the meanest I've heard on my speach impediment. I am working on it.. I used to fill gaps with obscenities.. so could be worse. I am editing a new video and will guarantee less UPM (umm per minute). Hope that helps. I'd suggest subtitles to save your larnyx but damn Google auto subtitles now are so good they put " umm" in quite accurately. Stupid sexy AI algorithm...

[@acmelka]

No problem. Take care

[@jeffreyhutchins6527]

Haube = how-bah....the E at the end of the word is pronounced as an A.

[@acmelka]

Thanks 👍

[@hodor9851]

Oh, hello

[@acmelka]

Thanks for subscribing. More coming soon

[@Hudsoncolo]

Uh couldn’t uh watch uh more uh than uh 3 minutes uh

[@acmelka]

Yep. It's better than the profanity tick issue I had but annoys the hell out of um some folks. I got a comment when defending my thesis '40 + vms'. I wasted time trying to figure out if I missed some analysis of vms'? But it was 'UM's ' I'd tell you to use the closed captions option since you musta been interested in the content but that's gotten good enough to insert them. I am working on it, and trying to catch them in a sound edit .... that cheer you up?

[@Dam_ramsa__]

Uhhh and uhhh

[@archiemac5137]

You mispronounced pickelhaube. It's like pickel-how-ba.

[@acmelka]

Thanks. Ich spreche Deutsch nicht. I am self taught.... Sorry if it is distracting.

[@MichaelMemejs]

100th comment

[@rustyraven-mk4rf]

these are tord helmets

[@wat9177]

Tord is a kamerad of das Preußische reich mein fellow Eddsworld fan.

[@Mo-oq8jd]

I tapped out after the 300...Ah..

[@acmelka]

It's a problem... I'm ah working on it. Somehow Obama got away with it but I'm just annoying

[@chrisrattray8958]

This is completely unhelpful to a new collector. They are all fakes! One looks like it has a few original parts. Pickelhaube is not pronounced pickel hobb. Pickel how beh or buh

[@Owenmilitaria]

Your clearly not educated.

[@johnpalmer2850]

When leadership thought they could claim god or block him

[@thorstenmarquardt7274]

Prussia, not “imperial Germany”

[@FriedrichWilhelmViktorAlbert]

Wrong, Germany became a kingdom in 1871, and these are all from after that.

[@c00p39]

Uh

[@acmelka]

Uh....yep...it's an issue uh....

[@user-ek5sg9xb7k]

many replicas and fakes

[@acmelka]

Yes. As I said I do have some replicas and fakes. Replicas are an option depending on budget and what buyer wants to do with helmet. Fakes are a big problem. I have been burned a few times and hope others can learn from my mistakes. Others I bought knowing they were replicas because hey this atuff ain't cheap. If you see anything fake I said was real please let me know. Thanks!

[@SerVahnt]

I have an original and the point is for harmonic resonance that is activated with the invisible aether. I can’t find any information on the one I had that had crystals or gem stones inside the helmet under the point. Some theories claim they are tartarian, but more specifically the Prussian region of Tartaru

[@iannebraska1250]

No offense but if I could describe this video in one word, it would be Uhhhhh