RICK: What do we have here? ALEXIS: Well, it
is a Cromwellian Lobster Tail helmet. RICK: This style of helmet
was popular in England during the English Civil
War, happened in the-- 1642. RICK: 1642, you're good. --to '51. Oh, good. You know your history, yeah. [laughter] ALEXIS: Today, I've
got a 1640s Cromwellian Lobster Tail helmet. There's a lot of people that
are interested in this genre of arms and armament, so I'm
asking $3,500 for the helmet, but I think I'd be willing
to sell for $2,000. RICK: This thing
is definitely cool. It was just really a
bizarro, weird civil war. It was the King
saying I'm in charge, and Parliament saying,
well, you're in charge, but not really in charge. You had Cromwell and the
Puritans, and all this. And basically, the king lost. Mm-hmm. And he also lost his head. [laughter] As it happens. RICK: This was
high-tech and, I mean, really, it was a lot better than
earlier wars, where they just had, basically, a steel
dunce hat on their head, and they would have
this flap on the back. And they had leather
straps on the side, so it gave a little support. So when you got hit on the
head, it wasn't as bad. ALEXIS: OK. RICK: During the
English Civil wars, these helmets were
used by both sides, and this design was
considered really high-tech. You had something that flexed
and protected your neck. But I have to say,
there's something about this lobster tail
helmet that's a little fishy. [laughter] So how much you
want for this thing? ALEXIS: I'd love to
get $3,500 for it. RICK: OK. I have some concerns right
off the bat with this thing. ALEXIS: Mm-hmm. RICK: The reason
why it was called a lobster tail helmet
was cause this flexed like a lobster tail. This is all one piece. Mm-hmm. RICK: And that
really concerns me. Do you mind if I have
someone look at it? ALEXIS: Sure.
RICK: OK. You can hang out
for a little bit. I'm going to go call somebody,
and get him down here. I wonder if they'll
come back in style. ALEXIS: When he mentioned that
he was calling in an expert, I felt a little nervous. But I think that this piece
would be perfect in the shop, and I think they'd do
really well with it. RICK: It's really cool looking,
but I'm not exactly an expert on lobster tail helmets. So I'm calling in
my friend Alex, who will know all about this. ALEX: Ah, the lobster
tail pod helmet. So my big concern is that
this tail doesn't flex. ALEX: OK.
Well, this is Cromwellian. Basically, Cromwell
had supporters. They called them the
Roundheads, and they were diametrically
opposed to the Royalists, who supported King Charles. They called them the Cavaliers. RICK: OK. ALEX: This is why it's
called the lobster tail. Traditionally, I
guess you could say, this would have
been three sheets of metal riveted
together, so it had a little bit of articulation. They did make them like this
for lower-status soldiers. It was preferred by officers. But this shouldn't
be a reason to think that this is incorrect. RICK: All right. ALEX: There's a lot of
history around this helmet. This was a brutal
time to be at war. They're using giant
swords, they're using axes. There were so many
things, that a helmet was crucial to saving your life. RICK: So what do you
think it's worth? ALEX: If this were true to
the period, this would be-- I could see it getting $3,500. There are some rivets
here, and some pieces of leather on the inside. Those are for cheek
pieces, so they would have been worn on
either side, and hung freely. Now, it's very typical
that they're missing, because they were connected
by leather, typically. You can see some of
that leather still here. I don't see too much
350-year-old leather. The other thing is
it's really light. This wouldn't have been
worn in the battle. There's just no way that
this would have stopped a blow from a broadsword. I would think that it's
actually a Victorian copy. As a Victorian copy, a
couple hundred bucks. RICK: Thanks, man.
I appreciate it. You're welcome.
I'm really sorry. [laughter] ALEXIS: No worries. RICK: I'd give you $50 for it. [laughter] ALEXIS: Yeah. No, at that price, I
think I'll just keep it. RICK: OK.
I understand. Like I said, it happens. What are you going to do? Thanks so much.
RICK: You, too. Bye-bye. Bye. For $50, I think I'll just
go ahead and take it home, and enjoy it while watching
my favorite British movie with some wine or something.
