aeneas01
05-14-2009, 07:14 AM
sold at ami some years back for $13,000+, this helmet had previously made the rounds at auction - but by the time it hit ami, the center stripe had been altered and joe greene's sig had been added.
the photo on the left is from the ami auction, the photo on the right is from a previous auction. note that a piece of yellow tape has been added to the ami helmet in an effort to repair/hide the the missing section that can be seen in the other photo, near the facemask. looking carefully, you can see that the section of added tape begins near the top of the photo...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/zz01-1.jpg
again, ami photo on the left, other auction right...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/zz02-1.jpg
altered tape aside, i think this helmet has additional issues in terms of it qualifying as a mean joe greene gamer. first of all it's a '60s shell which means it was molded of white plastic and painted black. nothing wrong with this per se, however the steelers were very early adopters of molded colored shells (in their case molded black shells), and it seems they jumped on them as soon as they became available in 1970 (can you blame them, what a chore having to constantly touch up highly contrasting white shells beneath black paint!).
looking at photos of greene from 1970 on, it seems apparent that his helmet was molded of black plastic, not a white shell painted black - it appears that when he made the switch from an rk (bubble ear) helmet to a tk helmet in 1970, after his 1969 rookie year, he was issued the latest and greatest riddell offering: an impregnated black helmet. here's a look at the type of helmets greene sported throughout his career, from left to right... 1969: an rk helmet (white shell painted black), 1970-1974: an impregnated black tk helmet, white snubber, 1975-1976: an impregnated black tk helmet, wildcat bumper, 1977-1981: maxpro.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/zz04-1.jpg
could it be that the ami helmet is indeed a mean joe greene gamer? sure, anything is possible. but before i stamped it as such, i would want to see conclusive photo or film frame evidence that greene sported a white tk helmet painted black. there are lots of images out there, but they all seem to point in another direction. did he use it during the 1970 camp, prior to the new shell arriving? did he use both an rk and a '60s tk during the 1969 season? definitely possible. but again, i would want photo proof that contradicts the many images that seem to point to the contrary.
here's a closeup look at the ami helmet (left) with the white shell clearly visible below the black paint. this sitch can also be seen in the 1969 photo of greene above (his rookie year). the photo on the right is of his impregnated black tk helmet. does a photo exist of greene sporting a tk helmet with a white shell exposed beneath the black paint? if one could be produced, it would certainly be compelling. if not...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/ZZ05-1.jpg
btw, have any of you helmet collectors noticed that almost none of these helmets sold at auction, helmets said to have belonged to some of the nfl's greatest players, never show any signs of pro bowl paint? fwiw, greene made the pro bowl 11 consecutive times, from his rookie year on... :eek:
....
the photo on the left is from the ami auction, the photo on the right is from a previous auction. note that a piece of yellow tape has been added to the ami helmet in an effort to repair/hide the the missing section that can be seen in the other photo, near the facemask. looking carefully, you can see that the section of added tape begins near the top of the photo...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/zz01-1.jpg
again, ami photo on the left, other auction right...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/zz02-1.jpg
altered tape aside, i think this helmet has additional issues in terms of it qualifying as a mean joe greene gamer. first of all it's a '60s shell which means it was molded of white plastic and painted black. nothing wrong with this per se, however the steelers were very early adopters of molded colored shells (in their case molded black shells), and it seems they jumped on them as soon as they became available in 1970 (can you blame them, what a chore having to constantly touch up highly contrasting white shells beneath black paint!).
looking at photos of greene from 1970 on, it seems apparent that his helmet was molded of black plastic, not a white shell painted black - it appears that when he made the switch from an rk (bubble ear) helmet to a tk helmet in 1970, after his 1969 rookie year, he was issued the latest and greatest riddell offering: an impregnated black helmet. here's a look at the type of helmets greene sported throughout his career, from left to right... 1969: an rk helmet (white shell painted black), 1970-1974: an impregnated black tk helmet, white snubber, 1975-1976: an impregnated black tk helmet, wildcat bumper, 1977-1981: maxpro.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/zz04-1.jpg
could it be that the ami helmet is indeed a mean joe greene gamer? sure, anything is possible. but before i stamped it as such, i would want to see conclusive photo or film frame evidence that greene sported a white tk helmet painted black. there are lots of images out there, but they all seem to point in another direction. did he use it during the 1970 camp, prior to the new shell arriving? did he use both an rk and a '60s tk during the 1969 season? definitely possible. but again, i would want photo proof that contradicts the many images that seem to point to the contrary.
here's a closeup look at the ami helmet (left) with the white shell clearly visible below the black paint. this sitch can also be seen in the 1969 photo of greene above (his rookie year). the photo on the right is of his impregnated black tk helmet. does a photo exist of greene sporting a tk helmet with a white shell exposed beneath the black paint? if one could be produced, it would certainly be compelling. if not...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/ZZ05-1.jpg
btw, have any of you helmet collectors noticed that almost none of these helmets sold at auction, helmets said to have belonged to some of the nfl's greatest players, never show any signs of pro bowl paint? fwiw, greene made the pro bowl 11 consecutive times, from his rookie year on... :eek:
....