How to authenticate an NFL Game Worn Helmet?

[Britt in VA]

Does it have a Steiner sticker ? If so do you have the COA ?

No, there is no COA or Steiner sticker.

[Britt in VA]

A couple of other things that I noticed. It is difficult as the photos of your helmet are a bit limited - so please confirm.

Your helmet has an Armor Guard Carbon Steel mask. The only time Strahan wore a carbon steel mask - that I can find in the 2001 season was in the preseason - and it was the thinner wire style with the Vinyl Guard coating. During the regular season, he wore a Titanium facemask.

Your helmet appears to have regular standard side facemask clips. Strahan and the Giants wore stabilizer clips in 2001.

Your helmet has gold facemask screws. Strahan and the Giants wore gray-black phosphate screws in 2001.

The straps on the chinstrap extend way too far past the clips - both as a result of not being trimmed - but also due to the more narrow width of a medium sized shell.

Again, if it was traded at the ProBowl and obtained from a ProBowl player - my belief is that it was an extra helmet that Strahan took with the purpose of trading or giving it away. However - even then it would exhibit the same style and components as a 2001 Giants gamer.

Without seeing the helmet or better photos, I would say that it is a helmet that someone made up to look like something that Strahan would have worn.

I'm sorry I left you hanging on this topic, I just got really busy at work and home and haven't had a chance to revisit it, or take pictures. I hope to do that later this weekend.

I've often felt that this helmet seemed a little small, and you thinking that it's a medium size would validate that, but there are no markings of size inside the helmet. That's a bummer. The faceamask is the vinyl coated style facemask.

[helmets]

The red valve on the air bladder tells me that it is a medium helmet. This coupled with the thicker jawpads shown in your helmet results in a helmet to fit a head size of 7 or smaller.