Boer officer's artillery helmet plate, Boer (c 1890)

Title	Boer officer's artillery helmet plate
Nationality	Boer
Period	c 1890

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This extremely rare helmet plate (approx 4.5" diameter) would have been worn by the Orange Free State artillery officers on a white foreign service helmet. Basically, both helmet and helmet plate would have been imported from England prior to the Boer War, along with officers' swords, which I have also seen from this unit.

The construction is two-piece die-struck pattern, made from solid nickel silver, possibly with an EPNS finish. The other ranks version of this plate has a white metal coat of arms on a tombak background and these were made in Germany and were normally found mounted on a leather style picklehaube. Whereas there may have been between 500-1,000 other ranks plates made, there were probably only 100 maximum officers helmet plates of this type. This is, therefore, an extremely rare item. (Two of the three fixing pins at the reverse have been shortened when the plate has been stripped for cleaning.)

If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.

[Militaria : Badges : Boer : 19th Century]

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