Bettis Helmet

[jhunt28]

The reason I didn't go into much detail about the "black" helmet that he used from Oct-Dec 1998, is because that black helmet had black padding (black front bumper, black ear pads, black forehead padding). This helmet pictured has the white front bumper (like you pointed out), and white inside padding. I just don't think he would wear a helmet that was all black, then take out the black inside padding, black front bumper, take off the number decals, and just hand it to someone the following year at training camp. I guess nothing is impossible...I just have a hard time believing this story.

[Vikingshelmetguy]

The reason I didn't go into much detail about the "black" helmet that he used from Oct-Dec 1998, is because that black helmet had black padding (black front bumper, black ear pads, black forehead padding). This helmet pictured has the white front bumper (like you pointed out), and white inside padding. I just don't think he would wear a helmet that was all black, then take out the black inside padding, black front bumper, take off the number decals, and just hand it to someone the following year at training camp. I guess nothing is impossible...I just have a hard time believing this story.

Jhunt28, another great observation that you have noticed: the Oct-Dec 1998 photos of Bettis reveal all black padding on the inside, whereas the Ebay helmet has white padding on the inside and a white front bumper. The helmet on Ebay kind of looks a little small too, whereas it appears from photos of Bettis that he wore a pretty large size helmet (he is a big dude with a big head).... There seem to be a lot of red flags with this helmet being sold on Ebay (with the story on how it was acquired being almost too unbelievable to be true). I am watching with interest as there are currently already 9 bids and the price is getting close to $400, with a couple more days of auction time to go! Glad I am not a Steelers helmet collector. This helmet is confounding!

[jobathenut]

vikings-I don't go on that getty site so thanks for the pictures to prove me wrong.I emailed the seller and he was'nt sure what season he got it.He said he thought it was 1996 season,which would be his first season with the team.I just found it funny,cause if bettis were to give me his helmet,i would never,ever forget the day,the month,the year ,the time it was in the day that he gave it to me.

Put a search for "Jerome Bettis 1998" into Getty Images and there are a load of photos of him from the 1998 season which show Bettis wearing a helmet with an all black chin strap and black chin guard. Attached are photos. It's starting to look like this Bettis helmet on Ebay just might be legit:

[aeneas01]

someone emailed me about this helmet yesterday, not sure if he's a forum member, and i told him to ask the seller for the date code. i actually posed the question and told him that he could just copy/paste it and send it to the seller. apparently the seller got back to him with the date code but also wanted to know what it signified.

anyway, the helmet was manufactured in 2001, which doesn't seem to jive too well with his story. i haven't taken a close look at it but from what i saw it doesn't strike as an authentic bettis/steelers helmet, doesn't strike me as anything different than what tends to hit ebay. btw the guy that contacted me said that he never heard back from the seller after sending him this info even though he had asked additional questions....

....

[Vikingshelmetguy]

vikings-I don't go on that getty site so thanks for the pictures to prove me wrong.I emailed the seller and he was'nt sure what season he got it.He said he thought it was 1996 season,which would be his first season with the team.I just found it funny,cause if bettis were to give me his helmet,i would never,ever forget the day,the month,the year ,the time it was in the day that he gave it to me.

Hi Jobathenut, actually I was not intending to prove you wrong—sorry about that …. I was just trying to figure out whether any photos existed of Bettis wearing an all-black chinstrap in an effort to try and figure out whether the helmet for sale might possibly be Bettis’ helmet. You’ll notice that after I posted those photos, I quickly realized the Getty photos I posted do not match the helmet that is for sale on Ebay (I posted a photo of the Ebay helmet, and the differences were quickly apparent). Jobathenut, that’s a really great point you’ve made: Like you, if I were a Steelers fan and a player like Bettis just gave me his helmet right there, I’m pretty sure I’d remember (or never forget) what year/season I got it. I’m no expert, but after all the discussion and analysis of photos I’ve looked at, I suspect that this helmet on Ebay is probably not Bettis’ helmet (it could be an actual Steelers gamer worn by another player, but I don’t think it is/was Bettis’ helmet). Interestingly, I notice that one of the bidders cancelled their bid, and that the current auction price has now dropped significantly.

[helmets]

Ebay cancelled the bid. It was an "administrative cancellation"

[jobathenut]

hi there vikings-There's no need to apologize,i took no offense to it.It's not the first and won't be the last time i have been proven wrong.I thank you for posting those pictures and to show that he did indeed wear a all black chinstrap.I would've bet good money that he never did.Like i said,i emailed the seller and i was told that they think it was from the 1996 season and those pictures you posted were from the 1998 season.So i'd be interested in a 1996 search,to see what color chinstrap he wore that season,i have pictures i took of him in a game that season,but they are not good enough to see it.Thanks again vikings for the insight.

Hi Jobathenut, actually I was not intending to prove you wrong—sorry about that …. I was just trying to figure out whether any photos existed of Bettis wearing an all-black chinstrap in an effort to try and figure out whether the helmet for sale might possibly be Bettis’ helmet. You’ll notice that after I posted those photos, I quickly realized the Getty photos I posted do not match the helmet that is for sale on Ebay (I posted a photo of the Ebay helmet, and the differences were quickly apparent). Jobathenut, that’s a really great point you’ve made: Like you, if I were a Steelers fan and a player like Bettis just gave me his helmet right there, I’m pretty sure I’d remember (or never forget) what year/season I got it. I’m no expert, but after all the discussion and analysis of photos I’ve looked at, I suspect that this helmet on Ebay is probably not Bettis’ helmet (it could be an actual Steelers gamer worn by another player, but I don’t think it is/was Bettis’ helmet). Interestingly, I notice that one of the bidders cancelled their bid, and that the current auction price has now dropped significantly.

[jobathenut]

What does that mean?

Ebay cancelled the bid. It was an "administrative cancellation"

[otismalibu]

Doesn't that mean the seller canceled the bid?

[Vikingshelmetguy]

What does that mean?

I looked on Ebay and found out the definition of an administrative cancellation: "Administrative Cancellation" is the cancellation of a bid by eBay due to administrative reasons, such as when a bidder becomes unregistered.