Imperial Austrian Customs Helmet by PSDuck
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Description
This is a Customs helmet of the pre-WWI Austrian Empire. A fluted spike is unusual, because the German states favored spike helmets and the Austrians did not. This helmet is very unusual because the patent leather body has been custom covered in cloth. Originally colored a light tan, it has discolored with wear and time. This covering means the owner was stationed somewhere hot and sunny, like the Adriatic Sea area. I find it strange that most of the brass "furniture" of the helmet, aside from the spike and its base has been covered over with cloth. This cloth has been machine stitched on. It is exceptionally well trimmed, but that is to be expected in the work of the day. For this Customs official, it had better be good! The fact that the helmet has been "modified" makes this almost a one-off piece, and rare. The liner is in excellent condition. The owner's name is written inside the body of the helmet. I could not get a good enough view of it to photograph, though. Since it is written in a script (Kursif, I think), it is hard to read. If I ever do get the name, I will post it.
Comments (10)
mininessie
a great piece...love all the info you gave...very interesting i agree ...i´m seamstress and the cloth cover is really well done...a fine work! thanks for sharing Allen!
shadownet
Another great capture! Loving this series!
mariogiannecchini
Another great capture! Beautiful series !Ciao 111
blinkings
Great shot. I've always been fascinated by Picklehaubes!
flavia49
Fantastic series!! Living on the Adriatic sea shore I must confess that the climate here is cold and foggy in winter and mild and very humid in summer and a "camo" would be greenish/gray ("grigioverde" = gray-green was once the color of the Italian army before the NATO camo). Maybe the owner of the helmet was stationed between the Hungarian puzta and the Russian steppes where in summer the climate is dry and warm and the colors are from brown to yellow. Speaking about spiked helmets I remember that, in the 70s, Sandra46 and I were going home from England passing through the Alsatian border where the Maginot Line lies. We were very short of money as all students were, but we stopped at a Museum on the Maginot which was inside a huge bunker. We where discussing whether to go inside or not, since the fee would drain all our saved money, when the old keeper (a former WW2 soldier) came out and, trying to captivate us, he told us: "Here we have the largest and fantastic collections of German spiked helmets in the world!" Usually this isn't the best thing to say to two young females in order to catch their attention, but it worked because we have always been two military history buffs. Henceforth, he conquered us on the spot and we invested there our last coins! And I must say that he was problably right!! The collection was huge and awesome.
sandra46
fantastic shot, great helmet!!!! in northeastern Italy which was part of the Austrian empire and where WW1 Italian front took place, there are jokes and innuendos (often of sexual nature) among the oldest part of the population. From 'slow-witted' to 'arrogant official' etc.
debbielove
A very fine piece of history.... Interesting to look at and finely lit.. Great shot.. Thanks for showing us.. Hope you are both well? Rob
renecyberdoc
great history bit on the helmet and also flavias comment most interesting.
NetWorthy
Wonderful historic piece, wonderfully photographed - nicely done!
gibby.g
Another fine capture.