A helmet is protective headgear, in the antiques sense usually of iron, steel or brass, worn by soldiers, knights, firemen and others from antiquity to the twentieth century. Antique helmets are collected both as militaria and as decorative objects, and they have long been displayed in halls, armouries and libraries of country houses.
Forms vary greatly with period and use: medieval great helms and bascinets, the close helmet and burgonet of the sixteenth century, the lobster-tail pot of the English Civil War, morions and cabassets, and the plumed cavalry helmets of the Napoleonic and Victorian eras. Brass fireman's helmets and ceremonial headgear are also popular with collectors. Many helmets displayed in Victorian halls are nineteenth-century decorative reproductions or composite pieces assembled from parts of different dates, so close examination is important. Collectors look for consistent construction, period rivets and linings, appropriate wear and corrosion, and evidence of provenance. Etched or embossed decoration and maker's or armoury marks add interest. Original surfaces should not be over-cleaned, and rust is best stabilised gently with conservation advice rather than removed with abrasives.
