{"product_id":"imperial-german-feldartillerie-red-horsehair-helmbusch-parade-plume-w-tin","title":"Imperial German Feldartillerie Red Horsehair Helmbusch Parade Plume w\/Tin","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eAn original Imperial German Helmbusch (parade plume) of red horsehair (Roßhaar) for the spiked helmet (Pickelhaube), produced for the Mannschaften and Unteroffiziere — enlisted ranks and non-commissioned officers — of the Imperial German Feldartillerie (field artillery), and accompanied by its original cylindrical fiberboard storage canister (Helmbuschdose) with identifying label still affixed. The piece is the complete parade-dress configuration as issued: full horsehair plume on its threaded brass mounting socket, ready to be exchanged in place of the spike on a field artillery Pickelhaube during full-dress and ceremonial occasions, together with the dedicated cylindrical container in which it was stored between wearings to protect the horsehair from moths, crushing, and humidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe plume itself consists of long red-dyed horsehair, bound at the upper terminal beneath a small domed brass cap and falling in a thick natural cascade to a length of approximately twelve to fourteen inches. The horsehair retains strong color throughout, a vibrant scarlet-red typical of the field artillery branch, with the natural sheen and weight of horsehair rather than the synthetic substitutes that began appearing in the very late war years. The lower terminal of the bound hair is gathered into a tapering brass trichter (funnel) which steps down through a slim conical brass shank to a circular brass base plate fitted with a coarse-threaded male screw stud. This screw arrangement was the universal Imperial mounting system: the soldier unscrewed the parade spike from his Pickelhaube's helmet spike base (Spitze) and replaced it with this plume mount, threading the brass stud directly into the same socket. A small affixed numeral \"3\" on the underside of the brass base appears to be an inventory or collection number from later handling rather than a period mark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe Imperial German Field Artillery was one of the major combat arms of the Kaiserreich army, equipped principally with the 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 n.A. and the 10.5 cm leichte Feldhaubitze 98\/09 by the prewar period. Field artillery soldiers wore the Pickelhaube in the standard pattern with branch-distinctive insignia and fittings, and on full-dress occasions exchanged the helmet's spike for a horsehair parade plume of branch-specific color. For the field artillery, that color was red — distinguishing the branch from infantry (no plume on the spike), cuirassiers and dragoons (white or black plumes), and other mounted and foot branches with their own specified colors. The plume was an issue item to enlisted ranks and non-commissioned officers; officers' plumes were generally of finer hair grade with more elegant mountings, though the basic color code was the same across ranks. Horsehair plumes were carried only at full dress and removed for service and field wear, which is why they typically survive in cylindrical fiber storage tubes designed specifically to keep them upright and protected. Wartime regulations of August 1915 removed the Pickelhaube from field service in favor of the steel helmet, and the horsehair plume largely fell out of use except in ceremonial and rear-area parade contexts; surviving examples therefore date overwhelmingly from the pre-1915 active service period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe cylindrical storage canister is constructed of pressed black-painted fiberboard with reinforced ends, telescoping in two pieces to allow the plume to be lifted in and out without crushing the hair. The exterior of the lower body bears a small typewritten paper identification label, in German, reading: \"Helmbusch — rot \/ Roßhaar = Uffz. + Mannsch. \/ Feldartillerie,\" translating as \"Helmet plume — red \/ Horsehair = non-commissioned officers and enlisted men \/ Field Artillery.\" This label appears to be a later collector or curator identification slip rather than a period maker label, and accurately records the piece's branch and rank attribution. The interior of the lid retains a partial earlier paper label, in German printer's type, with the words \"Fabrikate\" (manufactured goods) and what appears to be \"Reichen-\" visible at the upper edge, with the remaining text heavily obscured by old ink overstrike from a previous owner. The full original maker imprint is no longer legible. The canister bottom shows the small numeral \"3\" matching the brass base of the plume mount, suggesting the two have been kept together through their handling history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eCondition is very good throughout. The horsehair retains strong, vivid red color with no significant fading and no evidence of moth damage to the body of the plume; some loose individual hairs are present at the surface as is typical with horsehair of this age, but the bulk and shape of the plume are fully preserved. The brass trichter and base mount show light age patina and minor verdigris in the recessed areas of the base plate, with the threaded stud intact, fully formed, and functional. The fiber canister shows handling wear, light surface scuffing, and some minor edge softening at the lid rim, but is structurally sound, retains its telescoping fit, and shows no losses or repairs. The typewritten identification label is intact and legible. The interior paper label is partially obscured but partially readable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThree points carry the collector significance of this piece. First, complete horsehair Pickelhaube parade plumes in their original storage canisters are increasingly difficult to source as the canisters were widely discarded over the twentieth century, separating the plume from its branch-and-rank documentation. The present piece preserves the full original configuration as issued. Second, the red field artillery color is one of the more visually distinctive plume colors of the Imperial system and pairs well with surviving artillery Pickelhauben for collectors building branch-specific displays. Third, the horsehair condition is unusually strong; many surviving examples show moth losses, dyestuff fading, or breakage at the binding, and the present plume's vibrant color and intact form put it above the average market grade for the type.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49519038234863,"sku":"04-101","price":595.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/FullSizeRender-22.jpg?v=1778699677","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/imperial-german-feldartillerie-red-horsehair-helmbusch-parade-plume-w-tin","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}