Football Helmet Date Codes

[bgakladd]

Hope this helps everybody, and possibly helps to detect a good football helmet and a bad football helmet.

[bgakladd]

This was part of a 2012 edition for football helmet purchases, recertification purposes, and inventory control. Riddell helmet date location is not complete on the above for older 1970's thru 2000 years. Those were usually found in the crown area inside a small circle or a longer digit number found near the earhole area, depending what year the helmet was made. If you have more input that can help everyone out, feel free to share. This should help some people out say if you purchased a football helmet thru an auction site or Ebay thinking it was game worn then later you get it and find out it was just a youth helmet, or a doctored high school helmet turned into an NFL or college level style, esp. on the Schutt numerical digits. Again there is more to add but for right now this is a starting point.

[bgakladd]

This helps to explain some of the numerical digits written inside surrounding the ear hole areas. Usually done in black markers, they are for school district ID purposes.

[bgakladd]

This helps to explain some of the numerical digits written inside surrounding the ear hole areas. Usually done in black markers, they are for school district ID purposes.

Here is a good video showing more about these black written in numbers around the earhole area when Riddell helmets are sent back for reconditioning. While identified as school district ID or account numbers done at Riddell, some helmet collectors have in the past thought they were locker numbers. I remember mentioning this on an old post by a fellow GUU member for a Texas A&M football helmet he had as to what they were when he was trying to identify who wore it.

[bgakladd]

A little more in depth information on the Schutt football helmet date codes concerning the adult version using the numbers 0 and 1 at the beginning of the code and the youth version using the numbers 5 and 6 at the beginning of the code. Also the letters and their meanings such as sizes and the materials used to make the helmet. (In Mark's letter he gave a minor correction in the illustration using the number 5, he corrected it to the number 4 when illustrating the 1994, 2004 and 2014 years). Thanks to Mark and Glenn from the Schutt Co. for this information.

[bgakladd]

Here is one for BIKE football helmets

[bgakladd]

More information and charts for Schutt football helmets.

[jetersbatboy]

Here is one for BIKE football helmets

Hey Barry, any chance you have the info on the material digit designation code? What numbers where used to designate what material. I know that 0 & 1 designates poly carb materials, and 5 & 6 designate an ABS material. what about other numbers? And also can it be confirmed that Poly carb was used only for adult helmets and ABS used for Youth?? Thanks! Any more info on this would be helpful!

Aloha Scott

[bgakladd]

Hey Barry, any chance you have the info on the material digit designation code? What numbers where used to designate what material. I know that 0 & 1 designates poly carb materials, and 5 & 6 designate an ABS material. what about other numbers? And also can it be confirmed that Poly carb was used only for adult helmets and ABS used for Youth?? Thanks! Any more info on this would be helpful!

Aloha Scott

I sent you information request to Mark, I will let you know his response Scott.

[bgakladd]

Hey Barry, any chance you have the info on the material digit designation code? What numbers where used to designate what material. I know that 0 & 1 designates poly carb materials, and 5 & 6 designate an ABS material. what about other numbers? And also can it be confirmed that Poly carb was used only for adult helmets and ABS used for Youth?? Thanks! Any more info on this would be helpful!

Aloha Scott

Scott, sorry but Mark does not have that information on the old Bike company that made the helmets back then and was sold to Athletic Helmets Incorporated (AHI). But I did dig into some old helmet "archives" I have saved. Here is a news paper clipping from the Tuscaloosa News back on Dec.21, 1983. It does mention the shell being made of a super hard poly carbon alloy and this was for the adult helmet on the Air Power helmet in 1976. I highlighted some key points made in that article. I have a lady's name who worked at Southern Athletic in 1974, which later became the Bike Athletic Company. It's along shot but I will see if I can get in contact with her and see if she can help out in this area. Scott, can you contact me at bgakladd@aol.com, I want to ask you some questions about your helmet.