[Caleb Cox]

Hi, my dear friend passed recently, and willed me some of his armor collection. This was a suit he had displayed in his living room. The helmet sort of reminds me of a Scottish Burgonet, but I would appreciate another set of eyes to look over the set. There is a makers mark that is a Thors hammer. Does this ring any bells to anyone? Thanks.

[Victor R.]

I checked a couple of the "links" for armorers (top right of page) and didn't see the mark - the two I thought it might be either don't exist anymore or don't have a viable link, but it's some place you could check.

As for "what" it is, it does appear to have been made for use, based on the strapping I see and the general articulation, but the roughness of it would designate it "munitions grade", which isn't a bad thing necessarily, just that it isn't very refined - kind of like what Tony Stark built in the cave versus the later Iron Man suits. The maker may have been younger/new to the game, or it may have been that he did different grades and your friend opted for munitions rather than a higher grade due to budget considerations or the "character" he was trying to build.

Was he into SCA or LARP? If so, the smith was likely someone he met through one of those organizations and they may have a list of marks if you can find someone else associated with his group. Another avenue would be the nearest RenFest/Medieval Faire in the area where he lived - local armorers (and even those not so local) usually have a booth. If you're into it, the next time the faire/festival comes to town, you could take a picture of the mark and the suit and see if anyone there recognizes it. Depending upon how old it is, the maker could be out of the game by now.

I know I didn't answer your question, but hopefully I sparked some ideas for how to pursue your investigation. Good luck!

EDIT: Another group I once frequented is The Armour Archive http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/, but it was as much about SCA as it was research. As I recall, they had a list of modern maker's marks and, if it is associated with SCA, someone there might recognize the mark or recognize the level of the work and know who was the likely maker.

[Caleb Cox]

Thanks for that input. I know he purchased it in the late 1970’s or early 80’s so it’s not a newer sca set.