Bavaria Pickelhaube / Spiked Helmet for a OYV (one year volunteer) in Line Infantry Regiment

This is a high-quality pickelhaube for a One-Year-Volunteer serving in a line-infantry-regiment. As I have shared with you in the past, a One-Year-Volunteer’s (OYV) uniform and headdress are often one of military collectibles’ biggest values. One-Year-Volunteers came from financially well set families. These young men entered their military service under a different program from the regular two-year-conscript who entered the army as an enlisted man. The OYV’s enlistment was for one year. Once they had completed their service, however, they often were promoted to officer status in the reserves. Men who served as OYV’s did so while paying all of their own expenses. This included supplying all of their uniforms and personal gear. As a result, the men were allowed more latitude in their dress items. They often wore items that were officer’s quality, especially when it came to pickelhauben. The differences were subtle, but with some minor exceptions qualified as officer’s level. This is why the pickelhaube we are offering today is a real value. It is common to see an OYV pickelhaube cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars less than an officer’s helmet from the same regiment.

This is a very fine example of a Bavarian One-Year-Volunteer’s Infanterie Regiment Pickelhaube. Its leather body is in very fine condition. It is supple, clean, and quite appealing. All of the helmet’s furniture is gilt of the highest quality. The chin scales are of the flat variety. All of it is definitely officer’s quality. It features an officer’s style wappen with a voided crown. The NCO’s state and Reich’s kokarden are in place. The helmet does not display officer’s stars at the top. Instead it boasts an NCO/enlisted man’s lugs. The spike is not detachable, but is taller (as an officer’s would be). The rear gilt spine is also officer’s style. Inside the helmet, it is pure officer’s style, with a leather sweatband and a silk liner. Under the liner is 100% original hardware. The wappen is mounted officer’s style, with screws and washers rather than a small bit of leather holding it in place. The latter is more commonly seen in depot-issued, NCO/enlisted man’s helmets. No double holes appear where the wappen is mounted.

This is a delightful spiked helmet that would make a worthy addition to any collection.