Naval Leather Boarding Hat?

CutlassCollector · 13th December 2023, 12:16 PM

Hi Ken,

Leather boarding helmets are interesting and may well be the high point of desirables for naval collectors!
Gilkerson states that only two US examples are known and one possibly British. See picture. Item 2 is drawn from a description written by a sailor in 1813.

Item 1 and 3 exist. Note that 1,2 and 3 have steel bands and sword catcher upturns and ear guards.
Number 4 is problematic as it is marked Portsmouth inside and Brits were not issued with helmets. It has no steel just leather welts. May well also be an early fire or mining helmet.

Regards,
CC

Kmaddock · 13th December 2023, 12:44 PM

Thanks for the pics
I sent you a PM with a link to the one sold at auction recently for your reference
Regards
Ken

M ELEY · 13th December 2023, 07:31 PM

Not a boarding helmet, but still a very nice, early miner's cap! Good catch, Ken!

About two decades ago, I used to get catalogs from numerous arms sellers. There was this chap, Dale C. Anderson, who used to put out a catalog filled with a wide range of long guns, swords, daggers, etc as well as a lot of militaria. In one of his listings, he had an American boarding helmet exactly like the one in Gilkerson, figure 3 with significant age! This was before that monumental work had come out and he listed it as "trench helmet?" and listed it for about $1200. Wow, if I had known, I'd have moved heaven and earth to get one of these excessively rare items! Sigh...

Kmaddock · 14th December 2023, 08:48 AM

Thanks all for the information
That is what I love about this hobby I have learned more about boarding helmets and Cornish mining than I ever I taught I would
all for the cost of less than 2 beers and I have a cool hat to boot ;-)
Cheers All
Ken

13th December 2023, 12:16 PM	#1
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 343	Hi Ken, Leather boarding helmets are interesting and may well be the high point of desirables for naval collectors! Gilkerson states that only two US examples are known and one possibly British. See picture. Item 2 is drawn from a description written by a sailor in 1813. Item 1 and 3 exist. Note that 1,2 and 3 have steel bands and sword catcher upturns and ear guards. Number 4 is problematic as it is marked Portsmouth inside and Brits were not issued with helmets. It has no steel just leather welts. May well also be an early fire or mining helmet. Regards, CC Attached Images

13th December 2023, 07:31 PM	#3
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Not a boarding helmet, but still a very nice, early miner's cap! Good catch, Ken! About two decades ago, I used to get catalogs from numerous arms sellers. There was this chap, Dale C. Anderson, who used to put out a catalog filled with a wide range of long guns, swords, daggers, etc as well as a lot of militaria. In one of his listings, he had an American boarding helmet exactly like the one in Gilkerson, figure 3 with significant age! This was before that monumental work had come out and he listed it as "trench helmet?" and listed it for about $1200. Wow, if I had known, I'd have moved heaven and earth to get one of these excessively rare items! Sigh... Last edited by M ELEY; 14th December 2023 at 02:54 AM.

13th December 2023, 12:44 PM	#2
Kmaddock Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Ireland Posts: 543	Thanks for the pics I sent you a PM with a link to the one sold at auction recently for your reference Regards Ken

14th December 2023, 08:48 AM	#4
Kmaddock Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Ireland Posts: 543	Thanks all for the information That is what I love about this hobby I have learned more about boarding helmets and Cornish mining than I ever I taught I would all for the cost of less than 2 beers and I have a cool hat to boot ;-) Cheers All Ken