Original Items: Only One Lot of 5 Available. IMA recently acquired a collection of headgear from the Yeoman Warders (aka “Beefeaters”) Club located at the Tower of London. The club has a strict policy of allowing only members of the Yeoman Warders and their guests entry. It has become a tradition over the years for visiting guests with any current or prior military or police service to leave one of their pieces of headgear. Over the years this collection has grown too large, leaving the Warders to liquidate the collection to IMA! Making this a truly exclusive offering!

The Shakos Included it this Lot are:
- Virginia Military Institute Cadet With Plume (7 ⅛): Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the United States. In keeping with its founding principles and unlike any other senior military college in the United States, VMI enrolls cadets only and awards bachelor's degrees exclusively. VMI offers its cadets strict military discipline combined with a physically and academically demanding environment. The institute grants degrees in 14 disciplines in engineering, science, and the liberal arts,[8] and all VMI students are required to participate in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).
 
While Abraham Lincoln first called VMI "The West Point of the South" because of its role during the American Civil War, the nickname has remained because VMI has produced more Army generals than any ROTC program in the United States. Despite the nickname, VMI differs from the federal military service academies in many regards. For example, as of 2019, VMI had a total enrollment of 1,722 cadets (as compared to 4,500 at the Academies) making it one of the smallest NCAA Division I schools in the United States. Additionally, today (as in the 1800s) all VMI cadets sleep on cots and live closely together in a more spartan and austere barracks environment than at the Service Academies. All VMI cadets must participate in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) of the United States Armed Forces programs, but are afforded the flexibility of pursuing civilian endeavors or accepting an officer's commission in any of the active or reserve components of any of the U.S. military branches upon graduation, excluding the United States Coast Guard.
 
VMI's alumni include a Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Army, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, 7 Medal of Honor recipients, 13 Rhodes Scholars, Pulitzer Prize winners, an Academy Award winner, an Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner, a martyr recognized by the Episcopal Church, Senators and Representatives, Governors, Lieutenant Governors, a Supreme Court Justice, numerous college and university presidents, many business leaders (presidents and CEOs) and over 290 general and flag officers across all US service branches and several other countries.
 
- The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina With Plume and Named (6 ⅞): The shako was donated to the Yeoman Warders’ Club by Mark Zito, Citadel Class of 1994. His Homeland Security business card is taped to the top of the shako. Mark Zito was the Supervising Special Agent for the Homeland Security Investigations department.
 
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. It has 18 academic departments divided into five schools offering 23 majors and 38 minors. The military program is made up of cadets pursuing bachelor's degrees who live on campus. The non-military programs offer 12 undergraduate degrees, 26 graduate degrees, as well as evening and online programs with seven online graduate degrees, three online undergraduate degrees, and three certificate programs.
 
The South Carolina Corps of Cadets numbers 2,300 and is one of the largest uniformed bodies in the U.S. Approximately 1,350 non-cadet students are enrolled in Citadel Graduate College pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. Women comprise approximately 9% of the Corps and 22% of the overall enrollment while racial minorities comprise 15% of the Corps and 23% of the total enrollment. Approximately half of The Citadel's cadet enrollment is from the state of South Carolina; cadets come from 45 states and 23 foreign countries. South Carolina residents receive a discount in tuition, as is common at state-sponsored schools. The Citadel receives 8% of its operating budget from the state. In 2019, the school's ROTC program commissioned 186 officers.
 
The Corps of Cadets combines academics, physical challenges, and military discipline. While only about one-third of graduates each year go into the armed services, all members of the Corps are required to participate in ROTC. The academic program is divided into five schools – Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Mathematics. Bachelor's degrees are offered in 38 major programs of study with 55 minors. The Citadel Graduate College offers 26 master's degrees with 41 different concentrations, 25 graduate certificates and two educational specialist courses; a college transfer evening/online program also allows students with college credit to complete their bachelor's degree in 12 subjects. 94% of the faculty hold doctoral degrees and the majority are full-time professors; the ratio of cadets to faculty is 12:1 and the average class size is 20.
 
While all programs make use of The Citadel's campus and professors, only cadets live on campus. (Cadets are required to live on campus while they are in the Corps. There are no on-campus housing options for the other student populations). The veterans program, reinstated in the fall of 2007, allows veterans to attend classes with cadets and complete their degrees.[16] Enlisted members from the Marine Corps and Navy also attend cadet classes as part of a program to commission highly qualified NCOs.
 
The Citadel Bulldogs compete at the NCAA Division I level in 16 sports within the Southern Conference.
 
This is a wonderful opportunity to add a pair of beautiful Shakos from prestigious MIlitary Institutes! Comes ready to display.