Old Junk Helmet Valuable Antique

The woman spotted what looked like an old helmet in her attic near where the Halloween costumes used to be, cleaned it up and wondered if it might be worth some money.

She lugged it downtown to the Civic Center where Chubb’s Antique Roadshow was offering free appraisals of people’s junk.

Greg Martin, an appraiser from San Francisco’s Butterfield & Butterfield, informed her Saturday that the helmet was a 16th century cabasset from Milan, forged from a single sheet of steel and covered with gold.

“It is really quite remarkable,” Martin said. “It was probably a parade helmet.”

And the value?

About $250,000.

“Super,” muttered the woman, who then put the helmet back in her bag, asked not to be identified, and left.