BEVERLY, MASS. – Kaminski Auctions’ April 30 sale presented a unique piece of American history with the recent discovery of a rare firemen’s ceremonial parade hat from the 1700s.

Purchased at a yard sale in Milton, Mass., the hat is made of pressed resin felt and has a hand painted picture of Benjamin Franklin on the front bordered by the words “Franklin Fire Company” in gold metallic paint and with the initials “JF” on the stovetop.

After more than 100 views on KaminskiLive, this rare piece of American history was finally hammered down for $18,000 to an enthusiastic phone bidder.

These special occasion hats, or “parade hats” as they became known, were worn by firemen in parades, to county fairs and in pumping competitions.

The hat is from the Franklin Fire Company of Germantown, Penn. Devastating fires wreaked havoc on colonial life, and Germantown, once a part of Philadelphia, in 1764 decided to create its own separate volunteer fire company to better protect itself. This volunteer fire brigade was known as The Fellowship of the Upper Ward and later became the Franklin Fire Company with Benjamin Franklin as its trademark image.

Watch for a complete review of this sale in a later issue.