Heritage Auctions: $9k Meredith Rookie Helmet?

[aeneas01]

heritage recently listed and sold what they claimed was don meredith's rookie helmet, it went for almost $9k. the problem is meredith's rookie helmet, along with many other items from his illustrious athletic and professional career, is actually on proud display in mt. vernon, texas - meredith's home town.

here's the helmet heritage sold - besides being one of the most immaculate game used helmets one could ever hope to encounter, the dymo tape is wrong and the number "17" written on the interior of the shell appears contrived.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z02-6.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z01-6.jpg

when the cowboys joined the league in 1960, meredith's rookie year, they did not use blue dymo tape as pictured above - instead the player's name was handwritten on the back of the helmet. it wasn't until 1963, the last year the cowboys used blue/white helmets, that they opted for dymo tape.

here are a few game photos, circa 1960-1962, showing the players' names handwritten on the back of their helmets, definitely not blue dymo tape:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z11.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z09.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z10.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z08.jpg

here's a better example, meredith's actual rookie helmet in mt. vernon:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z04-5.jpg

in fact i would say that it matches up pretty nicely with this rookie photo of meredith:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z07.jpg

here are a couple of more shots of meredith's real gamer:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z05-4.jpg

as i mentioned earlier, the blue dymo tape on the heritage helmet is also wrong - just as contrived as the interior number "17". when the cowboys started using blue dymo tape the player's name was positioned to read from top to bottom - that is to say that the first letter of the player's name was at the top of the tape. further, the tape used was somewhat different - here's an example:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z03-5.jpg

here's another example, eddie lebaron's gamer residing at the football hall of fame:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z06-1.jpg

looking at the heritage helmet, the tape is reversed, it reads from bottom to top - that is to say, the first letter of meredith's name is at the bottom of the tape. this is a problem because the cowboys didn't start positioning their dymo tape in this manner until the mid '70s or so, when buck buchanan took over for jack eskridge as equipment manager. in other words, the person that put that tape on the heritage helmet clearly, and mistakenly, referenced a mid '70s or later cowboys helmet. further, it's not vintage tape.

so what did some poor soul buy for $9k at heritage? hard to say. is it an actual vintage game issued cowboys helmet from that era dressed to look like meredith's helmet? could be. is it a quality reproduction that has never seen the inside of a cowboys locker room? could be as well imo. one thing is pretty certain imho - it's not what heritage claimed, it's not meredith's rookie gamer...

a portion of the don meredith display in mt. vernon texas:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z12.jpg


....

[civy]

This post has been brought to our attention, and it’s a matter that we are investigating very intently. We certainly will not complete the transaction until a conclusion has been reached on the helmet, and the winning bidder will be made aware of the situation.

Our consignor, who was verifiably a ball boy for the Cowboys in the first years of the team’s existence, had believed that the helmet was acquired at the same time as the rookie uniform. The photographic evidence would appear to contradict this memory, however we do have additional images of Meredith wearing this style of helmet with blue dymo tape on the back. Clearly further research must be undertaken. It is regrettable that this mistake was made, but we are grateful for the research done by the original poster.

Thank You,

Heritage Auction Galleries

[jgoldstein2000]

I for one am happy to see Heritage respond to this.

[aeneas01]

I for one am happy to see Heritage respond to this.

i think heritage's response is commendable as well although, i have to say, it would have sure been nice if heritage had shown the same concern for the poor soul that got stuck with that $7k+ "butkus" helmet they unloaded last april... heck, that helmet had more problems than this "meredith" helmet, total shame.


"Our consignor, who was verifiably a ball boy for the Cowboys in the first years of the team’s existence, had believed that the helmet was acquired at the same time as the rookie uniform. The photographic evidence would appear to contradict this memory..."

the thing is, you said the identical same thing about the "namath super bowl helmet" that you listed in 2008 with a starting bid of $50k, that the consignor was verifiably linked to namath and that he believed (mistakenly as it turned out) that it was namath's helmet. in both cases it seems that you forwent the expected legwork based on your belief in the consignors. in fact it would appear the same holds true for the butkus helmet - that rather than do the expected legwork you simply banked on the loa that came with the helmet. all told, we're talking about over $60,000 in bad football helmets (butkus $7k+, meredith $9k+, namath $50k+) - seems to me that collectors should get a better shake.

anyway, not sure what you can do about the "meredith" helmet now because, regardless of what the consignor may or may not remember, the problem that still remains is that the helmet has been fitted with dymo tape that is not at all consistent with what the cowboys used in the '60s to mid '70s. the tape, and imo the number "17" as well, was added to the helmet relatively recently in an effort to make the helmet look like a meredith gamer. and that's just a couple of the problems with the helmet....

[cohibasmoker]

This post has been brought to our attention, and it’s a matter that we are investigating very intently. We certainly will not complete the transaction until a conclusion has been reached on the helmet, and the winning bidder will be made aware of the situation.

Our consignor, who was verifiably a ball boy for the Cowboys in the first years of the team’s existence, had believed that the helmet was acquired at the same time as the rookie uniform. The photographic evidence would appear to contradict this memory, however we do have additional images of Meredith wearing this style of helmet with blue dymo tape on the back. Clearly further research must be undertaken. It is regrettable that this mistake was made, but we are grateful for the research done by the original poster.

Thank You,

Heritage Auction Galleries

Hi guys - I hate to be a fly in the ointment but, how is the investigation going? Thanks,

Jim

[aeneas01]

Hi guys - I hate to be a fly in the ointment but, how is the investigation going? Thanks,

Jim

i don't think you're question comes across as stirring the pot jim, not at all - i think it comes across as a good question posed by a concerned and experienced helmet collector. and i'm with you - i too would like to know if heritage's investigation has shed any light on how they could have listed and sold a reproduction meredith helmet for $9,000?

"civy" states: "...we are investigating very intently. We certainly will not complete the transaction until a conclusion has been reached on the helmet." like you jim, i'm wondering how this is going as well - chris nerat?

btw "civy" mentioned in his post that "...we do have additional images of Meredith wearing this style of helmet with blue dymo tape on the back." sure, images exist of meredith sporting blue dymo tape on the back of his helmet just as images exist of meredith sporting blue stars on the sides of his helmet. heck, images exist of butkus sporting a jop facemasks as well. but to make the leap from there to "ergo, this is the palyer's gamer" just doesn't cut it...

...

[aeneas01]

btw, i'm wondering if this stuff ("meredith" helmet and jersey) was consigend by john shaw...

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[cohibasmoker]

Bump

[aeneas01]

Bump

now that it's clear this helmet isn't meredith's rookie gamer, i can only hope heritage doesn't try to make a case to the seller that it's a "later" meredith game used helmet... because, given the modern, incorrectly positioned dymo tape, the helmet's near mint, no-use condition and the contrived "17" written on the inside of the shell, it's more than likely that this helmet is nothing more than a never-worn, game issued, vintage cowboys helmet from the era or just a quality reproduction.

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