skipcareyisfat
11-27-2007, 03:57 PM
Grey Flannel is currently offering a "game used" Johnny Bench helmet: http://www.greyflannelauctions.com/showdetail.cfm?Lot=206&Search=helmet
I actually had a chance to look at this one in person a few months ago. There were three things then that struck me as being odd about it. First, the brim has a white numeral "5". I don't recall the Reds ever using white numerals anywhere on their helmets. Until the late 90s, I was under the impression that they strictly used dyno taped names (if they used anything), and these were typically applied to the rear of the helmets. The Bench helmet did not have Bench's name dyno taped to the back, nor were there any remnants of this identifier. I emailed Dave Grob and he confirmed that the Reds did not use white numerals.
Second, the interior padding is (or was when I saw it) much different that what you normally see in helmets from Bench's era. The padding on the Bench helmet looked to be a lower grade, in fact; similar to the kind found in the flapless MLB models that were sold in some sporting goods stores in the early 90s.
Last, the ABC logo on the back was applied via a square sticker, rather than being embossed. I have never seen a pre-1984 ABC helmet with anything but an embossed logo. I'm almost certain that the stickered logos didn't appear until well after Bench's last season (1983); probably around 1990. See this thread for more on that: http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=10219&highlight=helmet
This helmet's taken an interesting road since I last saw it. After being rejected by other houses, word is American Memorabilia was going to auction it, but Lampson actually ended up rejecting it ... not because of the white numeral or the stickered ABC logo or the cheap padding, but because the size was wrong. (BTW, it didn't have a size sticker when I saw it.) The funny thing is, I'm almost 100% certain that Bricol Sports sold this a year or so ago. I don't know when Lou started "authenticating" for Bricol, but I'm guessing it wasn't until after this was sold. Anyway, I figured we'd see it again, and here it is.
The attached photos are the ones that were sent to me by Grey Flannel. On the one, you can clearly see that the ABC logo is on a sticker. Further, GF confirmed that the logo is on a sticker. I contacted them about this a couple of weeks ago. To their credit, they responded and said they would look into it. However, I have yet to hear back and it's still up for bid. With only about a week remaining, I figured I'd share these thoughts with everyone.
I actually had a chance to look at this one in person a few months ago. There were three things then that struck me as being odd about it. First, the brim has a white numeral "5". I don't recall the Reds ever using white numerals anywhere on their helmets. Until the late 90s, I was under the impression that they strictly used dyno taped names (if they used anything), and these were typically applied to the rear of the helmets. The Bench helmet did not have Bench's name dyno taped to the back, nor were there any remnants of this identifier. I emailed Dave Grob and he confirmed that the Reds did not use white numerals.
Second, the interior padding is (or was when I saw it) much different that what you normally see in helmets from Bench's era. The padding on the Bench helmet looked to be a lower grade, in fact; similar to the kind found in the flapless MLB models that were sold in some sporting goods stores in the early 90s.
Last, the ABC logo on the back was applied via a square sticker, rather than being embossed. I have never seen a pre-1984 ABC helmet with anything but an embossed logo. I'm almost certain that the stickered logos didn't appear until well after Bench's last season (1983); probably around 1990. See this thread for more on that: http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=10219&highlight=helmet
This helmet's taken an interesting road since I last saw it. After being rejected by other houses, word is American Memorabilia was going to auction it, but Lampson actually ended up rejecting it ... not because of the white numeral or the stickered ABC logo or the cheap padding, but because the size was wrong. (BTW, it didn't have a size sticker when I saw it.) The funny thing is, I'm almost 100% certain that Bricol Sports sold this a year or so ago. I don't know when Lou started "authenticating" for Bricol, but I'm guessing it wasn't until after this was sold. Anyway, I figured we'd see it again, and here it is.
The attached photos are the ones that were sent to me by Grey Flannel. On the one, you can clearly see that the ABC logo is on a sticker. Further, GF confirmed that the logo is on a sticker. I contacted them about this a couple of weeks ago. To their credit, they responded and said they would look into it. However, I have yet to hear back and it's still up for bid. With only about a week remaining, I figured I'd share these thoughts with everyone.