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This Fine Helmet Has Been Sold. Thank you! SIEBE GORMAN 12 BOLT DIVE HELMET CA 1953   In 1840, August Siebe was the inventor of the deep sea diving helmet as we know it today.  His helmets are prized worldwide by collectors and divers with this helmet being a near perfect example. SERIAL NUMBERS:       Bonnet 178XX        Breast Plate 178XX  TOTAL WEIGHT 48 lbs  BONNET 25 lbs     BREAST PLATE 23 lbs   STAND NOT INCLUDED Copyright 2014 by Land And Sea Collection™, All Rights Reserved Presented is a 12 bolt, 3 light Siebe.Gorman helmet, Circa 1953, that comes from the collection of the former owner who was a second generation deep water diver who had a collectors' compulsion of gathering everything he could related to diving. The helmet has a wonderful dark green coloration which over many years has developed a pleasing patina of age over both the bonnet and breast plate which have different numbers, only 43 numbers apart.  A speaker was installed , but has been removed. The air vents are all intact.The right side chin relief valve, spit cock handle, front door, and all wing nuts, all turn easily. There is a check valve on the air supply. Except for numerous small dents which are evidence of lots of use, the helmet has all original Siebe Gorman parts and is in very good condition. Like all used diving gear, this is being sold for DISPLAY ONLY. It should not be dived without having passed inspection by a certified dive shop.             Right and left sides of this great looking Siebe Gorman 12 bolt dive helmet   PROVENCE: From the estate of a hardscrabble character and second generation hard hat diver and the son of a member of the salvage team of the 17 month project to refloat the French ocean liner Normandie on the Hudson River that completed in 1947. Not only did the deceased have an incredible hard helmet and diving equipment collection, he also, in his lifetime, managed to assemble an amazement of anything diving related. MAKER'S BRIEF HISTORY: Augustus Siebe the German-born founder of the firm which bears his name (1788-1872) is considered "the father of diving". Sib's 'closed' diving helmet, first produced in 1840, allowed divers to dive safely to greater depths than ever before. Attached to a rubber suit, it became the 'Standard Dress' that revolutionized diving and made the underwater worker an essential part of both salvage operations and civil engineering. Many of the great building projects of the Victorian era - bridges, tunnels and lighthouses still in use today - could not have been built without divers.  Sib's design was so successful that it remained in use essentially unchanged, by the Royal Navy until 1989. Born in Saxony in 1788 and trained as a metalworker in Berlin, Siebe served in the Prussian army against Napoleon before emigrating to London in 1816. He moved into 5, Denmark Street, a four-story house dating from the 1680s, in 1830. Located in St Giles-in-the-Fields, an area which has had a long-standing connection with the metal-working trades, the property served both as his home and his commercial premises. Continued.       Back of helmet showing the comm elbow far right and the air supply in the center   Siebe manufactured his first 'closed' diving helmet in 1840. Previously, divers had relied on 'open' helmets from which spent air had to escape beneath the rim of the helmet or below the hem of the diver's rubber jacket, increasing the risk of drowning. Siebe's 'closed' helmet was bolted onto a modified diving suit based on the open helmet dress, with divers receiving air from a pump on the surface. The suit was watertight and thus safer than earlier types of diving dress. Together with special pumps designed by Siebe, it made diving to a depth of about 25 metres possible.   Siebe perfected the design of his new diving suit during the salvage operations carried out between 1840 and 1843 on the warship HMS Royal George, sunk in 1782. Following this practical experience of salvage work, his company became the known source for the safest and best of diving systems.   Siebe's other inventions include a dial weighing machine, a paper-making machine, and a rotary water pump. In 1850, he manufactured one of the first ever ice-making machines. Siebe won numerous medals at the 1851 Great Exhibition and the 1855 Paris Exhibition, and was elected an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1856.   Siebe died at 5, Denmark St in 1872. His obituary described him as "retiring, kind of heart and honourable in all his dealings." The firm went out-of-business in 1999.          Bottom of corselet shown over the inside of the bonnet Siebe, Gorman maker's tag   OUR UNCONDITIONAL 'NO NONSENSE“ GUARANTEE: If not completely satisfied with your purchase it may be returned, if without damage, within three days of receipt in its original packaging. Return items must be insured for their full value. Only a prior email authorization by us for the return is required. Shipping charges are refundable if due to our error within the continental United States.   International buyers welcome, but inquire first. We have satisfied customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, Republic of China, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Estonia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, New Hebrides (Vanuatu), New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Nova Scotia, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, St. Maarten, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, USVI, Vanuatu (New Hebrides) and the Eastern Caribbean.   SHIPPING & PACKING: In the United States a helmet such as this will ship for $125.00 to the 48 contiguous Sates.   STANDARD FORMS OF PAYMENT are Bank wire transfer, cashier's check, money order, or personal check in which case the item will be held until cleared. Our prices are quoted net to us so that the use of credit cards or PayPal incur extra charges. Terms on overseas sales are different.    Copyright 2014 by Land And Sea Collection™, All Rights Reserved