Adler 1

Thanks for posting these beauties gentlemen!

Adler 1

Lovely pickelhaube sir!

Adler 1

That's a very nice item to ad to your collection!

Adler 1

Indeed sorry to say, but as mentioned before, everything is replica. To be more specific is maybe not easy to explain, but I'll give it a try:

- shape of the helmet is wrong

- colour of the spike is strange

- shape of the entire spike is wrong

- spike retainer plate is to small

- Rivets for the spike are to large and the pins are to thin

- chinstrap is reproduction

- liner has to many tongues

- holes in liner tongues are to large

- shape of the helmet plate is wrong, also look how sloppy the text is put on the bandeau ...

- kokarden are fake and also painted very sloppy

- the way that the visor and neckguard are fixed to the dome is ridiculous

I can even go further with this list, but I don't want to give the fakers all the details... I hope you can understand this.

Please for give me, I absolutely don't want to be rude or offend someone but I can't say it in a nicer way... this helmet is a newly produced fake (it's not even a replica) and it was made to deceive people and get their hard earned money out of their pockets.

Also you have to be aware that pickelhauben (or anything else) in old collections are not necessary original because someone owned them for decades. They were even reproduced in the 60ties and they still are today... Maybe this one isn't from China, maybe it's from India or some other country, it doesn't matter... It stays a fake...

Adler 1

You have a PM...

Adler 1

Thanks Mr. Buellmeister!

Adler 1

Lovely Schako sir!

Adler 1

Chris, in my humble opinion you have to think of the bunker as an ongoing work in progress... The more pictures you show, the more I like your bunker!

It is indeed hard to display paperwork, it just takes so much space to do it properly, but since you have enough hardware to show, I would concentrate the displays on that and keep the paperwork in some nice binders and maps. Of course the nice ones can complete the displays and will give it just that extra power...

Keep up the good work!

Adler 1

Thanks for your nice comments gentlemen!

Now you made me consider about that admission fee ...

Christophe, For some reason, don't know why, I don't have Saxon uniforms in the collection... Maybe it's time to go hunting for one ...

Adler 1

Thank you guys!

It took indeed a lot of years to get everything as it is today, but this hobby stays fascinating because there's always something new to explore, even after all these years of collecting...

Adler 1

Ok, meanwhile I enlarge the bunker and put up some field beds... than we can camp with all the good stuff besides us ...

Adler 1

Thank you very much for your nice comments gentlemen!

On ‎10‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 12:53, Gerd Becker said:

Holy....

This is more of a museeum than a collection, Adler. How long did it take you to find all this?

I Started collecting in 1973 (d*mm, seems I'm getting old) but that was just at a low level... After service in the army, things started getting more serious...

On ‎10‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 17:03, ccj said:

will you adopt me?

Sure, but you have to bring a lot of Imperial stuff with you ...

Adler 1

Some pics of the "other stuff"...

More

Some more

Since a few days, bunkers seem to be popping up here and that inspires me to show some pictures of my own "bunker". As most of you know, I collect German Imperial but my main interest goes to the WW1 era. Feldgrau uniforms, bayonets, steel helmets etc...

Of course I also have some WW2 stuff, but to be honest, that's a bit "on the side"...

Please enjoy the pictures,

Adler 1

Some more...

That's a really great bunker you have there sir! I'm not surprised you like sitting there and watch documentaries, read books or just look arround ...

Adler 1

A great bunker it is! I think you spend a lot of time there

Adler 1

Thanks for commenting guys!

Adler 1

Ok, it's been a while since I posted a pickelhaube, but I think it was worth waiting...

After looking for several decades for a nice felt lacquered ersatz pickelhaube, it finally happened! A while ago, I was able to purchase this M95 Oldenburg Inf. Regt. Nr. 91 with stamps and all... There's a little crazing in the lacquer here and there but I can live with that, considdering how long it took me to find one and let's not forget the rarity of this fragile haube... How often does one encounter an Oldenburg helmet?

Please enjoy the pictures

Adler 1

The black cuirass was used by the Garde du Corps for the yearly spring parade.

Adler 1

The one on ebay looks fine at first sight, but after looking again and again, it seems less and less original... The pictures are also taken from a funky angle and cover up the strange form of the entire thing.

If you are interested in it, I would certainly ask a hands on inspection...

Adler 1

What an exceptional piece! Congrats!

Adler 1

It looks real to me, it's almost the same as the one I have. This one has the visors reinforced with rivets but for the rest it looks the same as my Tschako.

It appears that mine was worn with two kokarden and no feldzeichen... maybe hard to prove, but it was found decades ago and has serious imprints of that Prussian kokarde...

Here are some pics...

Adler 1

Possibly, but as you can see in the period  picture, it was worn this way by Prinz Alfons and it's this one I have in my collection. Maybe altered, but with 100% provenance that it was period done...

Adler 1

Officers wore covers with hooks as well... Here's one worn by Prinz Alfons von Bayern... It's even a combination of the hooks in front and the "pouch" at the back...

Adler 1