commando
01-21-2012, 02:44 AM
I just picked up a 49ers helmet from a gentleman who has owned it since the mid-1980s. The helmet was donated by the 49ers themselves for a Pop Warner fund raiser in the Bay area, and the person I bought it from was the winner of that auction. He is not a game-used collector and has no particular knowledge of how the helmet "should" look.
I'm comfortable with his story, and also see a few clues about the helmet that were pointed out in a previous thread dealing with Niners helmets. I'll mention as many details as possible here, and I hope to receive opinions from 49ers and/or helmet collectors.
This Riddell helmet has a date stamp of June, 1980. The Schutt facemask has a date code of GHE (July of 1985), which jives with the reconditioning stickers inside the helmet. The top reconditioning sticker, which is nearly gone, is printed in black and is believed to be from 1985. The remaining sliver of the sticker says "Enterprises," which I believe is Jim Davis Enterprises (the outfit that reconditioned 49ers helmets in the 1980s). Below that sticker is a green one with the year 1984, and once again I can make out "Enterprises."
The helmet size is handwritten with a black sharpie inside the top of the helmet (6 7/8). The code "00" has been stamped where the right ear pad would go. Part of another square or rectangular sticker remains on the inner left side of the helmet, but the face of the sticker is gone. I have not removed the inner padding, because it would require removing the facemask screws on the front and white stripe at the back.
It appears to have the facemask clips that have turned a golden brownish color, as well as the "49ERS" front bumper which covers the Riddell name (the bumper has four square corners, which is another detail I read about in the other thread).
The one thing that seems to be out of the ordinary is the warning sticker on the back, which is white. This sticker is in new condition, and I am wondering if the team might have put on this new sticker before giving the helmet away (as a legal measure). The rest of the helmet shows nice game use.
I like the look of this "skill position" helmet, and it seems like many Niners wore this style of facemask during the decade. I'm not sure if the player(s) who wore this can possibly be identified, but I think this is a nice, scarce piece of team history that was worn for at least three seasons in the early to mid-1980s.
Any observations or opinions on the helmet would be greatly appreciated! Thanks -- Anthony
I'm comfortable with his story, and also see a few clues about the helmet that were pointed out in a previous thread dealing with Niners helmets. I'll mention as many details as possible here, and I hope to receive opinions from 49ers and/or helmet collectors.
This Riddell helmet has a date stamp of June, 1980. The Schutt facemask has a date code of GHE (July of 1985), which jives with the reconditioning stickers inside the helmet. The top reconditioning sticker, which is nearly gone, is printed in black and is believed to be from 1985. The remaining sliver of the sticker says "Enterprises," which I believe is Jim Davis Enterprises (the outfit that reconditioned 49ers helmets in the 1980s). Below that sticker is a green one with the year 1984, and once again I can make out "Enterprises."
The helmet size is handwritten with a black sharpie inside the top of the helmet (6 7/8). The code "00" has been stamped where the right ear pad would go. Part of another square or rectangular sticker remains on the inner left side of the helmet, but the face of the sticker is gone. I have not removed the inner padding, because it would require removing the facemask screws on the front and white stripe at the back.
It appears to have the facemask clips that have turned a golden brownish color, as well as the "49ERS" front bumper which covers the Riddell name (the bumper has four square corners, which is another detail I read about in the other thread).
The one thing that seems to be out of the ordinary is the warning sticker on the back, which is white. This sticker is in new condition, and I am wondering if the team might have put on this new sticker before giving the helmet away (as a legal measure). The rest of the helmet shows nice game use.
I like the look of this "skill position" helmet, and it seems like many Niners wore this style of facemask during the decade. I'm not sure if the player(s) who wore this can possibly be identified, but I think this is a nice, scarce piece of team history that was worn for at least three seasons in the early to mid-1980s.
Any observations or opinions on the helmet would be greatly appreciated! Thanks -- Anthony