Bavarian spiked helmet of a One-Year Volunteer

Bavarian spiked helmet of a One-Year Volunteer, a recruit from the upper-middle class or even sometimes royalty who chose to serve one year at his own expense (all uniforms, helmet etc. were paid for by his family or by him personally. One-Year Volunteers (OVY) usually went on to become Officers of the Reserve. Their helmets combined features of both officer and enlisted helmets. In this particular case, the internal liner (silk and calfskin) is rarely found on any but officer's or private-purchase helmets. Most enlisted ranks made do with rough leather liners that were not nearly so comfortable. This helmet is constructed of vulcanized material, very expensive at the time, and much easier to care for than the standard leather helmet. The Bavarian crest, or front-plate is also of officer quality with a cut-out crown. Most enlisted examples had solid crowns with no "voiding" inside the upper portion of the crown. The brass chinscales are also indicative of higher rank, usually an NCO or OVY. This example is in remarkable condition, with some minor denting to the spike, and wear to the Bavarian cockade, as well as to the state cockade. About a size 59.