German Pre-WWI Garde du Corps NCO Rank Helmet

This is a clean and honest example of the iconic early stepped-peak helmet worn by the elite Garde du Corps. This particular piece serves as a characteristic example of a service-worn cavalry helmet, reflecting the reality of depot repairs and maintenance common to metal headgear used by mounted regiments of the era.

The basic steel skull remains in excellent, undamaged, and unrepaired condition. The front of the helmet features excellent nickel edging, and all nickel rivet heads are correctly in place. As is typical with service-used lobster tail helmets, there is some loss to the silver trim on both the right and left sides of the rear neck guard. The helmet is fitted with the correct large-size convex chinstraps worn by Garde du Corps and Cuirassier regiments, and it is complete with its single large-size national cockade and an NCO rank State cockade.

The crown of the helmet is mounted with the regimental eagle. The eagle itself is loose on its base, and the half-moon base shows a minor indentation, though it remains tightly secured to the skull. It is topped with an NCO’s gilded crown, which also shows a slight indentation and has lost most of its original finish over time. Beneath the front stepped peak, the helmet is clearly maker-marked to the firm P. Casten and Sohne.

Notably, the front plate was damaged at some stage during its service life and replaced. During this period repair, a smaller plate was fitted, leaving the original mounting hole for the larger plate visible. This history of field or depot maintenance is reflected in the price, making this an exceptionally accessible example of a prestigious Garde du Corps NCO helmet.

Ref; 95640