Licensed Kurgan Helmet - What is it?

[durandal]

Based on posts from the Highlander Sword Shoppers Guide on Facebook

A while ago i stumbled upon a private sale of a Kurgan helmet on eBay. It is still up there as of this writing, but as a collector I had some concerns when I first saw it. (Continued Next Post)

[durandal]

The last auction photo was a COE from Davis Panzer, dated Feb 6, 2014. It Reads:

"Letter of Authenticity
February 6, 2014

Congratulations! You have acquired the model replica of the Kurgan Helmet. This helmet has been signed by the producer of the Highlander film and television series, Peter Davis.

As the producer of the Highlander film and television franchise, I certify that this Kurgan Helmet is authentic and I have personally affixed my signature in ink below to verify its authenticity. This Helmet will provide years of continuous entertainment as a unique piece of signed, Hollywood memorabilia. Best Regards, Peter S. Davis, Producer."

Now, at that time, i knew that two helmets were being made and sold by a particular prop maker out of Texas, but I couldn't understand why, if he was selling the screen-used helmet, that the producer would be putting a signature on a COA for a phony item. Surely he would have known that it was not the real, screen used helmet? A comparison with the actual prop photos taken at auction:



And a photo of copies of the two helmet types taken side-by-side which clearly shows that they are not the same:

[durandal]

As it turns out it was the helmet that was sold on the 'Legendary Heroes' website.



The story begins in 2005 with the sculptor Pete Mander, who made the helmet, but lost the mold not long after.



Below are photos of the helmet being sculpted out of clay, and the test castings. One of the castings was sold to our Texan collector who would then play another role in the story…






Fast forward to 2011 or so . A modified version of the helmet is now on sale on Legendary Heroes, and the collector from Texas is now a prop maker. He wrote on theRPF that Davis 'hired and paid him to make something that wasnt the original'... So, he selected Pete's helmet from his collection, modified it, and that was given to DP. One wonders if they knew that it was actually Pete that made it, as the advertising, website description and certificate don't mention him.


I found his FB profile, and in FB Wall posts from 2014, Pete, the sculptor stated he didn't have a copy of the original work, and was informed of the project to modify the helmet when he was sent the prop makers project diary on TheRPF. By the very same friend which sold the texan collector a copy of the original helmet. It seems that Pete generously gave his blessing to the project ex post facto, but he may not have known about all the sales that were made on Legendary Heroes.

[Kladdagh]

Love your writings ... with the pics. They are so precise with the details ... So Thanks