Reach Pneumatic Head Protector with Box, ca. 1905
GUEST: I bought it because, uh, I was told it was a protector for the head, like an early helmet. Then I got it in the mail, and I was not really pleased. I thought, "Well, what is that thing?" And as it turns out, it's 120 years old, according to the patent date. Uh, it's to protect a person's head when you're a baseball player back in the day. And I don't think it was met with a lot of, uh, fanfare, because, obviously, this one's never been out of the box.
APPRAISER: This is a Reach Pneumatic Head Protector for batters, which we would think of as being an early helmet. And yet it's made out of canvas. Based on the patent date, this was likely made in 1905.
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: I love that you found this advertisement on the internet, which shows that they offered this for five dollars.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: But if you look down here, I see it says "Head Protector Left, one dollar."
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: So, obviously...
GUEST: It's on sale.
APPRAISER: Obviously, it's on sale.
GUEST: Right.
(both laughing)
APPRAISER: From the way it's explained, you take this tube and you push it in here, and, and you blow on it?
GUEST: Absolutely.
APPRAISER: And then it inflates.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: Right? To the side, so it protects you.
GUEST: Yeah. But it wasn't a very popular item. When they started wearing it, it was introduced, guys were not into protective equipment. The Hall of Fame has a picture of one, but there's no information, really, as to what became of 'em.
APPRAISER: Let's go back 100, 120 years. The big danger in baseball was the beanball. The beanball was the leading cause of death and major injury in baseball.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: Well, let's go back to 1905. The most progressive player at that time was catcher Roger Bresnahan.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: The Hall-of-Famer for the Giants.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: This was produced in 1905. Two years later, he got a beanball, and he decided to wear this, briefly.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: But he was so ridiculed by the players, and it didn't seem to, to work properly, that it got put back on the shelf and largely forgotten. 1920, the, probably the most famous incident was Carl Mays throwing a sinker ball at Ray Chapman, the shortstop for the Cleveland Indians.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And unfortunately, Ray Chapman is the only baseball player, Major Leaguer, to ever be killed.
GUEST: Yeah, I've heard about that, yes, absolutely. Mm.
APPRAISER: And at that time, they thought about instituting some sort of protective layer, but it never got beyond a certain point, because baseball players didn't want to appear weak. And the other is that they felt that it was gonna be too restrictive, too heavy.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: They hated them. Fast-forward to 1971. Major League Baseball came out with a mandate for all new players. They had to wear plastic batting helmets. When did you buy this and what did you pay for it?
GUEST: Well, it was over 20 years ago. Bought it through an auction. I paid $600.
APPRAISER: The only example that we could find was in the Hall of Fame.
GUEST: Yes. Okay.
APPRAISER: And there's no box.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: So as far as, as we know, this is the only one that exists...
GUEST: I'll be darned.
APPRAISER: ...with a box...
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: ...and all together, and in this condition.
GUEST: That's amazing-- wow, that is amazing.
APPRAISER: We would put an auction estimate today of $8,000 to $12,000 on it.
GUEST: (laughs): Well, that's amazing. That is amazing, it really is.
APPRAISER: I'd insure it for probably somewhere around $15,000.
GUEST: Wow, that's pretty cool--I appreciate that.
$8,000 Auction
$15,000 Insurance
Featured In
episode
Springs Preserve, Hour 1
Las Vegas treasures hit the jackpot with ROADSHOW’s top $650,000 find of Season 29!
20th Century
appraisal
Comic Wind-up Toys, ca. 1930
appraisal
Barbie Accessories & Case, ca. 1960
appraisal
William Moorcroft Pottery, ca. 1910
appraisal
Understanding Our Appraisals
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
