These pages are designed to highlight my collection of German memorabilia, predominantly headgear.

I got my first tschako as a present from a friend in Germany and just thought they looked great.  It sparked a major interest and led me to move away from UK and worldwide helmets to an increased specialism in the Irish and German police that is realised today in this collection.

Both Pickelhabe and tschakos take some looking after.  They are large, prone to damage from moth, heat, light or damp and, depending on what type and age you want, can cost a lot of money.  The ‘mini’ range of tschakos is a great alternative insofar as they are plastic, much more affordable (€25-50 in 2020) and don’t take up much space.  They seem to have been designed as momento’s and keepsakes and are pretty good copies of the originals.

My Mini Tschako Collection

I have a small number of German Police signs too as well as a small collection of Kriegsmarine effects, ship cap tallys, flags and so on.  I’ll post them up over time.