Legless Line Eagle

[Chrisnp]

I begin to feel like I only post when I have questions. I apologize for that.

This wappen came off of a dragooner style helmet with squared visor, cruciform spike base and chinscales.  I always thought someone just found a Prussian Line Eagle with a broken leg, trimmed both legs off neatly to make it more appealing and symmetrical, then replaced the missing dragoon eagle on the helmet.

Years later I saw an identical neatly trimmed legless eagle on eBay.  The seller spun a yarn about it being something an anti-monarchist movement in Germany did.  That makes no sense to me.  If they were anti-monarchist, why not remove the crown?  At the same time, it seems incredible to me that two different people would have trimmed the legs off line eagles in exactly the same way by coincidence. 

Anyway, since then I have spotted one more legless eagle, although this might have been the original eBay eagle up for sale again.

I look forward to your comments

Chris