Lot 26
US WWI Headgear Lot: Camo Helmet, Navy Flat Hat, Army Visor, NY Officer Visor & USMC Winter Hat
Opening: $100
US WWI Headgear Lot: Camo Helmet, Navy Flat Hat, Army Visor, NY Officer Visor & USMC Winter Hat
Includes a US M1917 helmet shell which has a good original camouflage painted finish; interior lacks liner and chinstrap. US Army enlisted service dress visor cap is a bit deformed from poor storage but remains fundamentally sound and would block out nicely; has normal light wear but no readily apparent mothing; interior has Frank Brothers (San Antonio) retailer trademark on the lining, which is also inscribed with a soldier's name.
The dark blue wool US Navy Flat Hat has a custom embroidered star insignia on the crown; band has "U.S.S. LANCASTER" tally. USS Lancaster (ID-2953) was launched as a cargo ship in May 1918 by the Sun Shipbuilding Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, and quickly acquired by the U.S. Navy for wartime service during World War I. Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS), she sailed from New York in July 1918 with cargo bound for South American ports, unloading at Buenos Aires before proceeding to Marseilles, France, where she arrived just before the November Armistice. Following the end of hostilities, Lancaster joined the Cruiser Transport Force in December 1918 and was tasked with transporting American troops home from Europe, contributing to the massive effort that returned most U.S. veterans by mid-1919. On October 4, 1919, after completing her postwar duties, she was decommissioned and returned to the U.S. Shipping Board.
Lot also includes WWI US Marine Corps 1906 pattern winter hat: forest green wool hat with stitch reinforced cloth visor and folding ear and neck capes which secure with khaki tie tapes; interior with olive drab cloth sweatband, improperly labeled "6-5/8" when in reality it is a 7-1/2 / 7-5/8.. possibly this error is one of the reasons why it survived in essentially unissued condition!
Lastly, the lot includes a New York state troops officer's M1912 visor hat, dark blue wool with bullion bordered red Artillery branch trim and a nice embroidered New York state seal emblem on the front. Interior has Ridabok & Co. retailer logo embossed on the sweatband. It is a bit misshapen from poor storage but remains in overall good condition with no readily apparent mothing, and should easily block back into shape with a little patience and care.
$200 - $300