Chip

Nooooooo! All Wrong. Regards, Chip

Jens, This tunic has a standing collar. Only cavalry regiments had them. Chip

That patch that Winkler is offering is laughable. What a sad-sack looking skull!

Andreas, If your tunic has no markings, then it is a private purchase piece and it makes sense that the shoulder boards were sewn into the shoulder seam, as this is normal for custom made tunics. An issued one would not have the straps attached this way. The collar is as it should be for a M08 dragoon Waffenrock. Chip

Charles, Yes, they were, though it is seldom seen in period photos. They were ordered to be removed from the field uniform shortly after the war began. I have seen several of them dated 1913. Chip

If it is an issued piece, it should have some markings inside. What does the interior look like? I agree with the identification. There really isn't anything else it can be with that collar. The regimental cypher would look like the one on this prewar type strap. What you would be looking for is this crown and cypher in red on a field gray shoulder strap with red piping and tongue on the bottom (depending on when the tunic was manufactured). These would be quite rare (especially a pair) and would cost approximately $500-$600, if you could find them. Chip

The only photo that I readily recall is in the book, "Lancers and Dragoons", by R.J. Marrion. It shows a group of Bavarian Chevaulegers, some of which are wearing the old dark blue overcoat. The straps appear to be a color other than dark blue, but they are cavalry and wore nothing on their colored boards in the way of numbers or insignia. I suspect cavalry units kept their tunic straps on these coats. Chip

Chris, I thought the army wore feldgrau after the war. and these appear to be too large for postwar straps. If they are a time capsule, then I would suspect that they are imperial as is everything else in the lot. Chip

This Troddel was only worn by Unteroffiziere and Sergeanten. I think the strap was wound around the neck of the bayonet frog twice and then the fringed end was slipped through the loop formed at the end of the strap. Chip

The old Bavarian Mantel took dark blue shoulder straps. The colored straps, as on the tunic, were used on the gray overcoat. It's quite possible that these dark blue coats were still in use in 1913, especially for reservists, etc.

Normally, issued shoulder straps will have backing material in the color of the uniform. M15 shoulder straps for the Friedensuniform should be backed in feldgrau cloth. They should also be 4.5 cm wide. These appear to be the same width as the prewar straps they are shown with. This leads me to think that these are private purchase pieces. Chip

Poulton, The IR.168 straps are for a Hessian one year volunteer's Mantel. The FAR.46 was a Niedersächsisches regiment. Normally, most prewar type straps with Roman numerals are from Handwerker of the Bekleidungsämter. However, I'm not so sure about your XVIII A.K. pair. I looked in the 1914 edition of "Führer durch Heer und Flotte" and it did not list a Bekleidungsamt for that corps. Pietsch specifically said that they didn't have one. 'Das Deutsche Heer" said that the Handwerker of the Bekleidungsämter wore the shoulder straps in the corps color. The corps color for the XVIII A.K. was not white. So, I am stumped for the moment and will have to keep looking for an explanation. Chip

Chris, Laschen were not introduced in 1916. That was the Schlaufen for the Bluse. The Laschen for the Bluse were introduced in order to roll the shoulder straps, not as a loop to put the Lasche through. I believe your dark blue straps with yellow "12" are for the old dark blue Bavarian Mantel. This was the pattern that proceeded the gray Mantel. Chip

I'll post my issue one if the sun ever shines again. Been raining all day. Chip

I agree with Charles, except for the middle photo. Normally, generals wore their collar insignia on a backing the same color (Abzeichentuch) as the rest of the collar on a Kleine Rock. Of course, generals could do whatever they wanted with their uniforms, but the insignia in this photo is on a much darker backing than the collar, so I am assuming it is red. Chip

A good issue pair of mountain boots comes in handy.

The officer's Litewka and Kleine Rock both had collar patches (Kragenpatten). There are several ways to tell the two jackets apart, but the most noticeable ones are the basic cloth, light gray vs field gray and the collars, which were of the same light gray wool on the Litewka, but were made from resedagrün Abzeichentuch on the Kleine Rock. The Bavarian models were different in that the Litewka was a medium blue with a somewhat different cut. The Bavarian Kleine Rock had a collar in the same field gray as the rest of the jacket, plus it was supposed to have the Bavarian state colored braid (so-called Aschingerborte) around the collar. General officer's had red linings and their unique collar insignia. Chip

Chris, Is that 84/98 n/A marked to a Feld Luftschiff Abteilung? Chip

Now, that's hard to believe!

I'm with you Eric. I only like to give such price opinions through PMs. After all, it's just my opinion, based on my knowledge (or gut). So it's not worth much, therefore I don't do it. Chip

Veteran's flags can be quite beautiful too, but they would not bring near the money that a real regimental flag would bring. The guys with the ten flags you mention are quite the capitalists (or gougers). Chip

Eric, Has there been some lettering scraped off on the lid? Also, is the inside plain or does it have compartments? Thanks, Chip

The maker is actually "L.Ritgen", a big supplier of leather goods to the army. The company is also known to have made holsters of all types, cartridge pouches, map cases, backpacks, bayonet frogs and phone cases, with items dated back to 1913 and going through 1918. Chip

Nice M17's (or if you prefer to call them M18's) with chinstraps seem to always sell in the $1,000 - $1,400 price range without any problem. A 1,000 Euro price does not surprise me.

Absolutely! ....and that issue M07 screw-top is not too shabby either!