The United States Navy Mark V Diving Helmet

Classic 1943 A. Schrader US Navy Mark V Diving Helmet - Fully Polished

As mentioned in some previous blogs, Nation’s Attic not only deals in vintage coin operated machines but also in vintage diving helmets and related equipment. While it may seem a little odd that a company in Wichita, Kansas deals in this sort of thing, there is no doubt that this stuff is super cool and we like it!

Regarded by many to be the ultimate copper & brass diving helmet, is the United States Navy Mark V.  This type of helmet was first made in 1917 and used clear into 1980! Even after 1980 the Mark V was still being used by commercial divers around the world. The helmet is ultra-safe, reliable and very durable, which explains why it was used around the world for such a long time.

Today collectors regard this helmet as the cornerstone of any collection. I refer to the Mark V as the “gold standard” in diving helmet collecting. I refer to it like that because the Mark V represents the peak of design for “antique” diving helmets, it was made in relatively large numbers and it’s simply the most interesting looking helmet ever produced!

The Mark V was made by four different companies from 1917 to 1980. For the most part the helmets looked the very same from day one until 1980. Really the only way to tell one helmet from another was the manufactures name plate on the front breastplate of the helmet. Below we have a photo of what each of the plates looked like on a Mark V.

Diving Equipment & Salvage Co US Navy Mark V Tag From 1945

Miller Dunn US Navy Mark V Tag From 1944

Morse Diving Equipment US Navy Mark V Tag From 1941

A. Schrader's & Son US Navy Mark V Tag From 1944

As you can see in the photos, the name plates do look noticeably different. Over the years the makers plates would changes for various reasons. All of these plates shown are from the World War 2 period. The time from 1942 to 1945 is when by far the most Mark V helmets were produced. The government had four companies making the Mark V and other types of helmets for underwater work during the war.

Out of the four companies that made the Mark V, three of them made the helmet before and after World War 2. Those companies were Morse Diving Equipment, Schrader and DESCO or Diving Equipment & Salvage Company. A smaller company in Miami, Florida named Miller Dunn made the Mark V only during World War 2. Their name plate is generally harder to read than the others. Miller Dunn also made a shallow water helmet for the US Navy called the Style 3 Divinhood, which is also quite collectable today.

Early US Navy Mark V Helmet Made by A. Scharder in 1917 - sold by Nations Attic

Looking at vintage diving helmets from the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th Centuries from strictly a “cool looking” standing point – the Mark V has them all beat. That primary factor along with the numbers of them made, their long use with Navies around the world and popular movies such as Men Of Honor have made this helmet an American icon and diving history gold for people around the world. With the growing popularity of “Steam Punk” design these helmets are more popular than ever now.

With any valuable and popular antique there will be reproductions unfortunately. The Mark V has been reproduced for decades. The most common reproduction is one with a name tag on the front by Morse and the date 8-29-41 and no serial number. Tens of thousands of these “8-29-41” helmets have been made. Below is a photo of the Morse tag for these reproduction helmets. While these helmets are fine for display purposes they have very little antique value and cannot be used to actually dive in!

Example Of A Reproduced Mark V Helmet Tag Dated 8-29-41 With Morse Name & No Serial Number

In addition to the helmet itself, divers required quite a bit of additional equipment to do their jobs. Of course we are always interested in buying these helmets, but we are also looking for the old canvas suits, diving knives, diving boots and even divers air pumps as well! Just about anything related to or used by divers we have an interest in purchasing.

Photo Of World War II Era Diver With Full Mark V Diving Gear

Please feel free to give us a call at 316-371-1828, email us at helmets@nationsattic.com  or visit our web site devoted to helmets at www.oldhelmet.com .  If you are thinking about selling a helmet, needing help with one or would like to purchase an authentic diving helmet, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Mills Submarine Lung Tester by Jenny Creekmore



Mills Novelty Submarine Lung Tester Image From Sales Catalog

Don and I enjoy all types of antiques.  We have always looked for rare and interesting pieces to bring to our home and to our business.  There is a fascinating coin operated item that we would truly be thrilled to find.  Not only is this machine coin operated, but it has a nautical theme.  This machine is right up our alley!

It is a Mills Submarine Lung Tester, which is approximately 100 years old.  Don has a Mills Novelty catalog and one of the machines available in the catalog is this awesome lung tester.  Well, as usual, I was totally excited about this wonderful piece of Americana.  I instantly became curious and asked Don lots and lots of questions.

I was extremely shocked to hear, that none of these machines exist.  At least that is the rumor!  Well, this only made me ask even more questions.  Now logically, I understand that Tuberculosis was a problem and this type of machine was an easy way to spread diseases and illnesses.  So I can see why the machines are difficult to find.

Here were some of my initial questions.  Was this machine ever manufactured?  If so, how many were manufactured?  If it wasn’t manufactured, why did they put it in the catalog? Or was it a concept machine?  Did any other company try to mimic and produce a similar lung tester?  If these were manufactured, why don’t any originals still exist?  Was it due to Tuberculosis or some other reason?  Does anyone have photos or memories of this machine being used in a public place?  If these beautiful machines were destroyed, what was the process?  Did Mills give refunds to the customers or did the owner just have to eat the cost? 

See, all of these questions were just racing through my mind.  It just doesn’t make sense as to why no originals exist.  If we could only go back in time!

The detailed workmanship is so amazing and the concept is exciting.  Just think of how much fun it would be to see if you could get more divers to the surface than your buddy.  (Minus all of the possible germs – just take that gross factor out) 

The top of the machine would have said “How Many Divers Can You Bring To The Top”.  It only took a penny and you would have a chance to blow in the tube to see if you could get one, two, three, four or even five divers to the surface.  So awesome!  The top of the machine had a detailed ocean view, with waves and rocks.  The ships are just as detailed and they even have the American flag flying on one of the ships.  The five divers are down in the ocean and look like they are near an old shipwreck.  The divers even have the full jake.  (Helmet, suit, boots and belt)  I am so impressed with all of the realism and accuracy that Mills put into the design of this machine.  The lower part of the machine has an image of mermaids swimming in the sea.  The machine was encased in wood and had ornate fish as an additional decoration.  It seems like no expense was spared when designing this machine.    

If you happen to have an original Mills Submarine Lung Tester, we would love to hear from you.  I truly hope that an original exists somewhere and that we can one day be fortunate enough to look, touch and experience the machine.  Or if you have any family photos or stories about this piece of Americana, we would be so thrilled to speak with you.  The search continues and may you be as excited as we are with this mysterious and gorgeous machine. Jenny or Don can be reached at 316-371-1828 or slots@nationsattic.com

Vintage Otard Dupuy Cognac Underwater Diver Poster Found!



Circa 1910 Otard Dupuy Poster Showing Diver Discovering Cases Of Cognac!

While our expertise primarily is with antique slot machines, Nations Attic also deals in vintage diving helmets. After years of handling antique diving equipment from all parts of the world, we have acquired a great working knowledge of this fascinating field.

Recently we had the good fortune to find an authentic circa 1910 Otard Dupuy Cognac advertising poster from France.  The theme of the poster is an underwater diver finding a treasure of Cognac bottles in their crates. The art itself (like many vintage French advertising posters) is really impressive and combined with the size of 40”x60”, it makes for a truly impressive piece.

Last year (2011) we had the fortune to handle a helmet very similar to the one illustrated in the poster.  This helmet was made by Siebe Gorman during the 1940’s. These Siebe Gorman helmets are the classic example of an English brass and copper deep sea water helmet. These helmets are similar in notoriety to the United Sates made Mark V helmets used by the US Navy for most of the 20^th Century.

We will continue to post interesting photos and articles about antique diving helmets in the near future. If you have or discover any vintage diving equipment or even a vintage case of Otard Dupuy – please let us know! The web site for antique diving helmets can be found at www.oldhelmet.com