Pickelhaube Characteristics & Rank Guide
 
The "issue" of issue stamps.
*NOTE* Issue Mannschaften (Other Ranks) helmets were Crown property and were stamped on issue with any combination of a unit stamp and/or date of issue. Soldiers were simply not allowed to modify Crown property. Any Mannschaften Pickelhaube that has issue stamps but with "upgraded" parts such as helmet plate, spike, chinscales etc. should be viewed as being a post-1918 modified to increase its value.
 
Kammerstempel; (Issue Stamps).
Helmets of all patterns are often impressed or stamped with a BA plus a roman numeral which indicates the Bekleidungsamt (Clothing Depots) and the Army Corps.

The letter "R" in front of any of the following abbreviations indicates "Reserve", i.e.: "RJR23 BA VI" would indicate "Reserve Infantry Regt Nr. 23 VI Army Corps Clothing Depot. The list below lists the Armee-Korps clothing depots. Note that Armee-Korps XVIII, XX, XXI, and the Bayern III Armee-Korps did not have a Bekleidungsamt (Clothing Depots) but were supplied by other depots.

BAG: Garde-Korps (Berlin)
BA I: I Armee-Korps (Köenigsberg)
BA II: II Armee-Korps (Stettin)
BA III: III Armee-Korps (Berlin)
BA IV: IV Armee-Korps (Magdeburg)
BA V: V Armee-Korps (Posen)
BA VI: VI Armee-Korps (Breslau)
BA VII / VII Armee-Korps (Münster)
BA VIII: VIII Armee-Korps (Coblenz)
BA IX: IX Armee-Korps (Altona)
BA X: X Armee-Korps (Hannover)
BA XI: XI Armee-Korps (Cassel)
BA XII: XII Armee-Korps (Dresden)
BA XIII: III Armee-Korps Württembergisches AK (Stuttgart)
BA XIV: XIV Armee-Korps (Baden-Baden)
BA XV: XV Armee-Korps (Strassburg)
BA XVI: XVI Armee-Korps (Metz)
BA XVII: XVII Armee-Korps (Danzig)
BA XIX: XIX Armee-Korps (Leipzig) Second Sächsisches Armee-Korps
BAO: China Expeditionary Armee-Korps (Ostasien)
KA: Kolonial Amt (Africa)
A comprehensive list of all issued stamps and their meanings would fill a volume. The list below is a small sample of the most typical unit stamps found on issued helmets.

Regarding issue stamps, the German "I" and "J" are often utilized concurrently in German to indicate Infantry. As German nouns are always capitalized, this form of "J" is only found at the beginning of a word to distinguish it from a small "L" as in: ( l ). The "J" does not stand for Jäger unless it is in a Jäger Tschako. If the "J" stamp is found in a Pickelhaube, it indicates Infantry.

AF - Fußartillerie Regiment - Foot Artillery
CR - Chevauleger Regiment - Bavarian light Cavalry
DR (often only "D") - Dragoner Regiment - Dragoon, mounted Infantry.
ER - Eisenbahn Regiment - Railway Troops
FAR -Feldartillerie Regiment - Field Artillery
FR - Fusilier Regiment
G - Garnisonsdienstbrauchbar (garrison / home service only)
GGR - Garde Grenadier Regiment
HR - Husaren Regiment - Hussars (Light Cavalry).
J - Instandsetzungsamt - repair depot.
I - Instandsetzungsamt - repair depot.
IR - Infanterie Regiment - Infantry.
J - Instandsetzungsamt - repair depot.
JR - Infanterie Regiment - Infantry
JB - Jäger Bataillon - (Light Infantry) Battalion
KR - Kürassiere Regiment - Heavy Cavalry
LB - Landsturm Bataillon - A level of service similar to reserves.
LB - Landwehr Bataillon - Home defense units. Last level of military service.
NB - Nachrichtentruppe Bataillon - Signals Troop.
PB - Pioniere Bataillon - Pioneer or Engineer
S - Sanitätseinheit - Medical .
S - Sanitätskorps - Medical Corps.
SM - Schall-Messtruppen - Foot Artillery sound-ranging troops
Sch - Scheinwerfer - Searchlight.
SchS - Schiess-Schule - Shooting school.
SRR - Schwere-Reiter Regt - Bavaria & Saxony Heavy Cavalry Regiment.
Tel - Telegraphen - Telegraph.
TB - Train - Supply and Service troops.
Model 1860 Hannover Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube for Inf. - Regt. Nr.79, X. Armee-Korps. The helmet is unit marked IR79 1867 FB (Füsilier Batt) on the skull inside top. As is typical with early helmets, the unit markings are in white paint.
Model 1867 Oldenberg Infantry Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube for Oldenburgisches Inf. - Regt. Nr.91 X.Armee-Korps. This example has unit stamp OJR 91 pressed into the rear visor, a feature often found on older helmets.
Model 1895 Preußen Mannschaften (Other Ranks)Pickelhaube stamped KJR 145 on the rear visor for Königs-Infanterie-Regt. (6. Lothringisches) Nr.145 (Metz) XVI Armee Korps.
Model 1895 Sachsen (Saxon) Infantry Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube for Königl. Sächs. 12 Inf. - Regt. Nr 177, XII. Armee-Korps marked "BAXII" and "177 JB" on the rear visor.
Model 1891 Preußen Fuß Artillerie Pickelhaube for Rheinisches Fußartill. - Regt. Nr. 8, XVII.Armee-Korps. This example is unit marked "8 AF"
( 8 Artillerie Füss) in white paint on the skull interior. Re-issue markings including the date "1906" in black ink are also visible.
Model 1895 Preußen Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube for 2. Lothringisches Feldartill. - Regt Nr. 34, Metz. XVI Armee-Korps marked "FAR 34" on the rear visor.
Model 1895 Baden Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube for Badische Feldbaeckereikolonne Train - Abt. Nr. 14., XIV. Armee-Korps marked "TB XIV 1904" on the rear visor. The Feldbaeckereikolonne was a Field Bakery Column attached to a Service Corps Detachment.
Model 1891 Preußen Kürassier Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Metalhelme to parade for Garde Kürassier Regt., Garde - Korps. The helmet is dated 1915 and unit marked GKR on the left side under the chinscale post.
Ersatz Model 1915 Preußen (Hannover) felt Infantry Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube with a view of the X Army Korps "BA X" marking which is visible on the top of the skull interior.
Model 1915 Preußen Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Busby for Husaren - Regt. Nr. 16, IX. Armee-Korps.The Busby is unit marked "HR 16 1916" on the top.
Model 1915 Preußen Tschako for Telegraphen - Batt. Nr. 3 VIII. Armee-Korps unit marked "Tel Batt.3" on the top of the inside skull.
Model 1915 Hessen Feld Artillerie Mannschaften (Other Ranks) Pickelhaube for 1. Hessisches Feldartill.-Regt. Nr. 25, XVIII. Armee-Korps marked "FAR 25" on the rear visor.
*NOTE* Privately purchased Pickelhauben do not carry issue markings.