m1881 7th Cavalry Officer\'s US Army Dress Helmet with Lemon Yellow Plume
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m1881 7th Cavalry Officer\'s US Army Dress Helmet with Lemon Yellow Plume :
$1650.00
For sale is a M1881 U.S. Army Cavalry Officer\'s helmet by Horstmann Brothers & Company I picked up as a reference piece, but never got around to restoring it. Now, I am thinning out my non-artillery items to focus my collecting.
The Plume:The plume is constructed of yak hair, and is a rich lemon yellow color as opposed to the darker cavalry colored plumes. As it is not washed out, it is unlikely that this saw much sunlight, as most modern examples are heavily sun-bleached. The plume base is the typical officer\'s construction and still retains about 90% of it\'s original gilding.
The Front Plate: The frontplate is attached via two wires, with what appears to be a hole beneath the attachment points where a third wire likely connected the front plate to the helmet. It also appears to have some polish residue on it, likely having been removed from the helmet several times to be polished. As such, it looks like it has a decent amount of gilding left on it, but is loosely attached from having been removed and reattached without leather securing strips. The 7 has a few marks on it.
The Cords: The helmet cord is a heavy weave of gold bullion, and is a dark gold color. It is attached via two shields with rings as opposed to the shield hooks seen on most officer\'s examples. The breast cords are not original to the helmet, but are a set that I have attached from a separate purchase. They are lighter in color than the helmet cord.
The Chain:The chain is leather backed and still retains an estimated 90 percent of it\'s original gilding.
The Body: The body is of cork construction, and bears a size-tag on the interior sweat band, and well as the remnants of the helmet\'s original label. The rear shield hook is attached via brass plate, and looks to have never been removed. Other brass items appear to have been inserted several times. The cork air-spacer at the front visor is in perfect condition.
The History:This piece has no provenance. I bought it at a pawn shop outside Fort Lewis, Washington in 2013 along with a m1892 USMC helmet. The store manager had it listed as a marching helmet, and said it came from the home of a hoarder who had died. He did not have the information on the hoarder, or he was unwilling to give it to me.
Overall Impression: Like most of these helmets, I imagine this is a put-together from parts, probably from about 40-60 years ago. It displays very nicely, and I believe all the parts are original, but that they were assembled from unissued stock by earlier collectors.
Because I don\'t believe this helmet has been together since 1881, I am listing it for sale for what I think is a good price. It is a very nice display piece, and is a must have for any cavalry collector. I ship within one business day of receipt of your payment, with tracking, insurance, and signature confirmation--that\'s not an option. Returns are accepted, but I charge a 10 percent restocking fee as the helmet is fragile, could sustain damage, and I don\'t want people buying it just to take a look at it in person. Original shipping from me to you, and return shipping remains paid by the buyer. If you have any more questions or wish to see any more pictures, please let me know. I am also open to trade for artillery helmets. Please feel free to make an offer as I would rather someone have it who appreciates it.
m1881 7th Cavalry Officer\'s US Army Dress Helmet with Lemon Yellow Plume :
$1650.00