Hello Gentlemen,
I've had this Helmet Plate for 35 years now and ID keeps evading me. Another Helmet Plate collector opined it's German-made and with the amount of export work they did, it is very possible. OTOH, Austria Hungary simply had much more involvement in the balkan and Eastern sphere, thus looking here first.
The church resembles coat of arms such on the Polish, Serbian or Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church coat of arms except the slanted (versus round) shape of the central roof. The weapons look like something from an Ottoman crest. It's very unusual to find the two elements combined, AFAIK, on a crest. I tried looking at everything from former mosques now Churches in Spain, EO Church in Constantinople, to Afghan and Mumbai churches. Not that they are ruled out, mind you.
Any ideas?
Thank you.
(Btw, the contrast is completely off from darkening it for easier viewing, it looks more natural irl.)
