Bettis Helmet

[NEFAN]

http://cgi.ebay.com/PITTSBURGH-STEEL...3A1%7C294%3A50

Quite a story with this one.

[Vikingshelmetguy]

I noticed this one too. I am not a Steelers fan or expert, and (besides the Vikings) I don't know all the subtle details of other teams helmets like Robert/Aeneas01 does, but it seems that a glaring omission from this helmet is the usual Steelers player ID numbers that are posted on the front or back of the helmet (depeding what year the Steelers helmet is). I think in most pictures I have seen of Bettis, his helmets always have white #36 number decals pasted onto the front of the helmet. This helmet lacks such player number decals... The game wear, mask and warning label look somewhat convincing, however.... I'd be intersted to find out what conclusions/input that Robert/Aeneas01 might have about this helmet.

[DrJ]

To my knowledge the Steelers wear numbers on the front and back during the regular season and only on the back during preseason (at least it was that way at one time, I haven't researched recently).

[helmets]

To my knowledge the Steelers wear numbers on the front and back during the regular season and only on the back during preseason (at least it was that way at one time, I haven't researched recently).

I don't think they wear the numbers during training camp, which would jive with the story.

I recall Bettis wearing a Riddell all-black chinstrap, but as I recall, it was with black padding and front snubber as well. With the white padding, I believe he wore an Adams pro 100 with a black cup and white straps.

Yes, I have heard some far-fetched stories on how people obtain helmets, and this one ranks right up there. A decent price if there would be a way to prove that it was a Bettis helmet, but if it isn't, you're out a grand for a beat up Pro Air II.

Pretty easy helmet to duplicate. For much less, one could obtain a beat up Pro Air II that looks identical to the one in the photos -with or without the 36's. The only thing you will have to do is make up the story...

[jobathenut]

I'm no helmet expert,but i am a lifetime steelers fan.And i can't ever recall bettis wearing a all black chin strap like that.People can check that getty site they always mention on here to see if there are any pictures of him wearing it.I'm not saying if it's authentic or if it isnt,but like "helmets" said-it's a great pick up if it is and if it isn't,well than you just bought a normal helmet way over the value of it.Problem is,there is no way to prove either way,all you can do is go by what you believe.And i also go by the sellers feedback also,and i email the seller and ask questions.

[jhunt28]

I've done some extensive Bettis helmet homework recently, because I was about to buy one. This was mentioned before, but Bettis never wore a chinstrap with a black cup and black straps (pretty sure colored straps are against the NFL uniform code). During the 1996-1997 seasons, Bettis did wear an Adams chinstrap with white straps and black cup a few times. And Bettis wore an Adams chinstrap all the way up until 2004, when he switched to Riddell. Bettis always wore a size large chinstrap with Riddell, which means the cup has 4 air vents in it. This chinstrap shown is a size medium (only 2 air vents in the cup), and can be picked up anywhere. Another giveaway is the placement of the upper chinstrap hookup in relation to the Steelers logo decal. The snap is positioned way too low...it should be at the height of the "blue star" on the decal. Shocked that something this bad could get a bid, let alone a few hundred dollars??