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as i mentioned to mvandor in another thread, trying to determine whether or not the gray flannel lid did in fact belong to gabriel is tough given that gabe wore quite a few lids when with the rams - not only did he wear quite a few different lids, but it's tough to tell how long he wore the same one because the appearance changed so much due to reconditioning.
with that said, the best i can say about grey flannel's lid is that from the photos it does appear to be an authentic rams rk helmet which are extremely rare - that alone makes it very valuable imo although, of course, being able to link it to gabe would make it much more valuable. one thing i don't like about the lid is the dymo tape - looks far too new. here's a look at three "gabriel gamers" in circulation, two are featured at helmet hut's great website and the third is currently at gf. none of these lids are the same.
here are some shots of gabe - photos 1-3 show him wearing a pre-70s lid with gray snubber. in photo 1 he's actually wearing an rac-k2 (many rams did) which is simply an rk lid with 8 small foam rubber cushions mounted between the shell and suspension webbing to help absorb shock. helmet hut's 1967 lid and gf's "mid '60s" lid, both with gray snubbers, do not match any of these photos (so how many gabriel gamers are we up to now?). photo 5 shows a rare shot of gabe wearing a tk (tru-curve) lid, something he didn't make a habit of when with the rams. photo 4 is an important shot - it's from the early 70s and shows gabriel wearing a new rk, freshly heat stamped and with white snubber. photos 6, 7 and 8 show the same rk (imo) at different stages of reconditioning. photo 8 shows what is probably the last time his lid was reconditioned (note all of the rivets are white along the horn) and the last lid he wore with the rams - it also matches up nicely with the "early 70s" lid featured at helmet hut.
conclusion? i couldn't match helmet hut's 1967 lid or gray flannel's lid. but, imo, helmet hut's lid has a better chance of being authentic given that it has been reconditioned. grey flannel's lid, on the other hand, features the original factory paint, heat stamp and impregnated white shell that forms the horns. could it be that gabe wore a lid for a season or two, never had it reconditioned, then replaced it with another one? sure, it's possible - but for my money i would much rather see a gabe lid that was reconditioned then retired....
with that said, the best i can say about grey flannel's lid is that from the photos it does appear to be an authentic rams rk helmet which are extremely rare - that alone makes it very valuable imo although, of course, being able to link it to gabe would make it much more valuable. one thing i don't like about the lid is the dymo tape - looks far too new. here's a look at three "gabriel gamers" in circulation, two are featured at helmet hut's great website and the third is currently at gf. none of these lids are the same.
here are some shots of gabe - photos 1-3 show him wearing a pre-70s lid with gray snubber. in photo 1 he's actually wearing an rac-k2 (many rams did) which is simply an rk lid with 8 small foam rubber cushions mounted between the shell and suspension webbing to help absorb shock. helmet hut's 1967 lid and gf's "mid '60s" lid, both with gray snubbers, do not match any of these photos (so how many gabriel gamers are we up to now?). photo 5 shows a rare shot of gabe wearing a tk (tru-curve) lid, something he didn't make a habit of when with the rams. photo 4 is an important shot - it's from the early 70s and shows gabriel wearing a new rk, freshly heat stamped and with white snubber. photos 6, 7 and 8 show the same rk (imo) at different stages of reconditioning. photo 8 shows what is probably the last time his lid was reconditioned (note all of the rivets are white along the horn) and the last lid he wore with the rams - it also matches up nicely with the "early 70s" lid featured at helmet hut.
conclusion? i couldn't match helmet hut's 1967 lid or gray flannel's lid. but, imo, helmet hut's lid has a better chance of being authentic given that it has been reconditioned. grey flannel's lid, on the other hand, features the original factory paint, heat stamp and impregnated white shell that forms the horns. could it be that gabe wore a lid for a season or two, never had it reconditioned, then replaced it with another one? sure, it's possible - but for my money i would much rather see a gabe lid that was reconditioned then retired....
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