The hobby of collecting Military Antiquities has exploded in recent years. Although interest in World War II and the American Civil War has always been strong, many collectors are now looking for collectibles from "The Great War" or World War I. Relics from all countries involved in the conflict are now eagerly sought, but German helmets remain one of the most popular collectibles of the era. There were many German helmet types from that era. They include the shako, tschapka, busby, spiked helmet and "coal scuttle" steel helmet; but no piece of military headgear more exemplifies a nation or an age than the "Pickelhaube" or spiked helmet. The spiked helmet was the most popular war souvenir of the American doughboys. Thousands more were sent home by the U.S. government as premiums for purchasers of War Bonds.

Although the majority of helmets found today come from the 1900 to 1918 era, it is important for the collectors to understand the history and development of the “Pickelhaube”. The original helmet design adopted by the state of Prussia in 1842 eventually became the standard headgear for Imperial German Army from the mid 1800’s through the outbreak of World War I.

The era of the “Pickelhaube” corresponded with the building of the German nation. The history of Germany is in actuality the study of many different states, bound together by a common language and cultural heritage.

The era of the "Pickelhaube" corresponded with the building of the German nation. The history of Germany is in actuality the study of many different states, bound together by a common language and cultural heritage.

Military fashion of the early 1800's was dominated by the image of Napoleon Bonaparte. The tall shako used by the French and their allies was copied by nearly all the armies of Europe. Prussia developed a tall leather and felt shako after the French pattern. Besides its awkward shape, the chief complaint was its weight and instability when wet. By the 1840's many European countries sought to escape the Napoleonic influence.

The origin of the spiked helmet is shrouded in the fog of history. A popular story states that in 1840 the Prussian King Frederick Wilhelm IV, while visiting his brother-in-law Czar Nicholas I of Russia, happened to see the prototype for a new helmet on the Czar's desk. The leather helmet with spike was supposedly patterned after an ancient helmet found by a Russian farm girl on the old battlefield of Lipezk. The helmet was said to have belonged to Jaroslav Vaevolodovitch, the Duke of Moscow in the 12th century. King Frederick was so taken with the helmet that upon returning home to Prussia, he demanded that his army