M1881 Officer's Visor Helmet

[Masonk]

Hi All,
Here is another recent acquisition, an 1881 pattern US Officer's Helmet. These would have been worn between the years of 1881 and 1902, when the RA changed regulations.

This particular helmet would have most likely been worn by state militia, as evident by the SPC on the helmet plate. Unfortunately, I am unable to determine which state militia.

The helmet itself has seen better days, however still displays nicely. It is missing the base plate for the spike, however these are fairly easy to obtain.

A plus is that the helmet contains a name tag on the interior which reads Ja P. A Holwell and Post 100. Unfortunately, again, I have had no luck in tracking down who this individual is.

In any case, I hope you enjoy!

[António Fragoeiro]

Lovely item, fantastic display piece.
Cheers.
Nuno

[Masonk]

Thank you for the kind words, sir!

[Battery Command Post]

Beautiful thing! Early US dress items don't seem to get the interest they deserve.

I was wondering whether 'Ja P' on the name tag might actually be 'Jas', with the 's' in uppercase or something similar? Jas was a common short version for James (and sometimes Jason) in that period, in the same way Robert (my name) was often written Robt, again with the 't' in uppercase (I often sign my name like that, just because). That would give you James A Holwell for the name. Just thinking out loud...

Rob

[Masonk]

Thanks, Rob! I also thought Jas and tried the variant names you suggested, but no luck. It seems odd the the P or S would be capitalized. My other thought was that this was some kind of title and the original owners name is A. Holwell, but nothing comes to mind as what that title could be.

Even if I found a name match on Ancestry, the key is determining what SPC represents. From there I can find some sort of muster roll to tie the name to the group.

[SteveR]

Nice helmet.
I like early American headgear.

[Masonk]

Thanks, Steve! So do I.

Surprisingly, post CW headgear can be had rather inexpensively. While this one has some condition issues, even mint examples can be found without breaking the bank.

[stuka f]

great item!
Congrats.
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[Masonk]

Thanks!