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ORIGINAL 1812 – 1840’S US ARMY DRAGOON AND
INFANTRY LEATHER HELMET CHIN SCALES – EXCELLENT MATCHED
PAIR IN “LIKE NEW” UNISSUED CONDITION: This
matched set of early US Army Dragoon and Infantry
Leather Helmet Chin Scales is one of those items that
continue to surprise and delight when they surface out
of old, untouched collections. In this case, the
previous owner could not remember when or where he found
them – in fact, he sheepishly admitted that when he
bought them many years ago he had no idea what they were
for, just that they were old and in amazing condition,
so he couldn’t bring himself to leave them behind.
Fortunately, he did not and they have survived to be
offered here.
Provided with the hardened leather helmets and shakos
worn by both United States mounted and foot troops
during the first half of the 19TH Century,
this matched pair of brass chin scales secured the
helmets under the soldier’s chin. Assembled on a
leather base, the individual brass plates are sewn in a
shingled arrangement which allows the strap to conform
to the curvature of the soldier’s jaw line. Whether or
not the lightweight brass scales provided any protection
for the wearer’s head is debatable, but they probably
provided some level of psychological comfort to a
soldier facing a variety of edged weapons on the
battlefield.
The leather base on both pieces is full form, is still
very pliable, and has survived without any breaks or
other damage, to include the long tongue section. The
brass buckle is still present on the receiving side of
the set, as is the leather cross keeper for securing the
end of the tongue after it is buckled in place. All of
the brass plates are present and they are all solidly
attached with the original stitching.
The lower ends of both scales are fitted with two ways
of joining the ends when the helmet is worn. First,
there is a stud and hole arrangement to secure the ends
together when the scales are worn across the front of
the helmet when the chin strap is not necessary to keep
the helmet in place on the head. The distance from the
side button on each side to the center front of the
helmet is a constant between helmets, so this single
stud served to keep the scales in place. If the scales
are to be worn under the chin, then the billet and
buckle are present to secure the ends to keep the helmet
on the soldier’s head.
This set shows no evidence of ever having been mounted
on a helmet, and it’s safe to say that it is “new, old
stock”. The top brass scale on each side was
manufactured with a key-hole perforation to accept the
shank of a side button, but neither of the leather
straps has been pierced, confirming that they were never
mounted.
This is an incredibly rare and very special original set
of early US Army Helmet Chin Scales, and it is an
offering which is not likely to be repeated. (0125)
$750
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