Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction February 2024
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/20/2024
There’s no mistaking the distinctive look of an Ernie Higgins goalie mask. The renowned Boston-area mask maker fabricated fiberglass wonders for a number of NHL goalies including Gerry Cheevers and Ed Johnston of the big, bad Bruins as well as Jim Craig of the 1980 United States Olympic Team. This desirable circa late-1960s Higgins mask is the prototypical example, sporting a clean off-white surface with what appears to be the original strapping still largely intact except for the top one, which has rusted away from age and use. Sporting much of the original foam on the interior of the face and on the backplate despite some having worn away in areas from age and hardening, the mask, measuring roughly 11" from top-to-bottom, remains quite solid and structurally sound while being riddled with use throughout including a number of marks, chips to the edges, scratches, cuts and other abrasions throughout that appear to originate from game-use. Additionally the is a crack in the tip of the nose that while seeming to go all the way through every layer of fibreglass, does not seem to make the area and softer or less structurally sound when handling. Additionally, it should also be noted that there are rust stains/spots over the top of the mask and behind both of the temples from the strapping harness while coloured red and blue paint transfer marks are present as well with the largest coming in the form of a blue mark at the top right. A true classic of a bygone era, it is also worthy of mention that according to our consignor, the mask originates from the St. Louis Blues organization with research Jacques Caron wearing a Higgins mask in that era but photos show him wearing a different mask than the one that is being offered here.
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