Naval Leather Boarding Hat?
 

Hi all,

I was at a prop house clearance and came across this hat and purchased for a few euro I think it might be a Naval Boarding Hat Helmet?

I have found similar on auction with with the following description see below

So what do you think 30 cm wide 9 cm high and leather is v v hard .7 cm thick


There is not much I can find on these but I like it for what it is anyway.

So does anyone know if the ID is correct ,

Regards

Ken

grey coloured last pic is one from auction with description following


Lot 507: Revolutionary War - War of 1812 American Navy Naval Boarding Hat Helmet

Made of hardened leather which in most cases would protect from even a cutlass blow, found in Sackets Harbor, New York together with a similar example sold at our previous, December auction. A rare part of early American Naval history. Good condition with wear consistent with the age

Hi Ken,

Also a close match to 19th century Welsh/ Cornish leather mining helmet. Probably more of these survived than the US boarding helmet! Check google and you'll see what I mean.

CC I agree with your observation and that probably is what it is:(
Without provenance it is impossible to know what it is.
My daughter likes it so at least some one is happy :)

Cheers
Ken

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

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

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...

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