News - Ancient war helmets set auction records

The distant "ancestors" of modern army helmets—the ancient Greek and Roman battle helmets—have long become museum exhibits and items sold at prestigious auctions, reports Techcult. At a recent Christie's auction in New York, famous British collector Christian Levett showed his unique collection of weapons and armor, which he has been collecting for decades, and for which he specially created his private museum of classical art in France. The star of this collection is a well-preserved Roman helmet made of iron, brass and copper, made almost 2,000 years ago. Levett had acquired it from the heirs of another world-famous collector, Axel Guttmann, more than ten years ago. This helmet sold for $1,260,000, making it the second most expensive after a Roman cavalry helmet that sold for $3,629,469 in 2010. Also among the top sellers were two Greek Corinthian helmets made of bronze, priced at $478,800 and $855,000. Unfortunately, the simultaneous sale of an impressive number of such unique artifacts resembles a prize draw rather than an auction, with museums and other cultural institutions remaining onlookers.