Super Bowl III helmet

[Jake51]

Hi,

Recently picked up this SB III helmet. Sorry for the bad pictures, I attached the link to Helmet Hut as well - they have it listed as their most recent featured helmet and have a better pictures of it then I do!

http://www.helmethut.com/

Thanks,

Tom

[ironmanfan]

I agree it's a very cool piece, but I guess I'm wondering why it deserves two separate posts (only a day apart from one another)?

[Jake51]

I wanted to change the title of my post to be more descriptive and didn't know how to do it so I made the second post.

Sorry for the redundancy.

Tom

[RKGIBSON]

Tom,

Very nice pick-up. Glad to see you got it.

Roger

[Jake51]

Thanks Roger -

It is fun to think about the history that goes with it. Have to say, amazed more of those guys aren't suffering serious brain damage when you look at what little protected them. Tough guys for sure!

Tom

[aeneas01]

i would say there is very little doubt that this is an authentic nyj gamer from that era - gotta love those classic rk lids (among my absolute favorites)! but before i dropped "sb3" money on something like this i would first get my hands on the several, excellent, nfl films out there that feature the ny jets and super bowl 3. game specific helmets, especially helmets from well known games, have a decent chance of being photo matched given there is usually a fair amount of footage available.

this particular helmet has a nice identifying mark that can be used for matching purposes - the small drill hole below the facemask. unfortunately a player's name and/or number found on the inside of a helmet does not guarantee that the helmet did indeed belong to that particular player...

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[aeneas01]

btw can you post a nice closeup of the decal found on the inside of your helmet - the one that can be seen in the photo with the number "6". and any other interior decals or stamps. thanks!

[cohibasmoker]

Awesome helmet - wish I had it.

[Jake51]

Aeneas - Completely agree with you, I would never take the writing inside a helmet as a definite ID either.

I should share how I got this and the reason I am comfortable that it was Hudson's. I picked this up directly from Hudson's long time family doctor. Jim had given him the helmet and said it was his SB III helmet. I also was able to get Christmas cards from the doc that he and Jim exchanged so I have a pretty high level of confidence that they had a good, long standing relationship and that the helmet was Jim's.

I'll try to post pics of the stamps inside, the last couple of pics I've taken have been drowned out by the flash. I did send this over to the guys at Helmet Hut to check out as I trust their expertise and also to call it like it is if it wasn't a SB III era helmet. They came back with the thought that is was a SB III era helmet but I also like your idea of checking NFL Films as well. Since Jim had a pretty big pick in that game I would guess there will be some good close ups.

Thanks again for your input, you are a true resource and we're lucky you're here!

Cohibasmoker - back at you with what I've seen of your collection!


Thanks,

Tom

[aeneas01]

tom -

if you are a member of netflix you can have them send you a couple of the nfl films that i mentioned - they don't have every one that pertains to the jets and sb3 but they do have a couple. as a matter of fact one of the nfl films that i used to conclusively determine that the "namath sb3 gamer" listed by heritage was not namath's sb3 helmet came form netflix's inventory.

imo getting your hands on the these nfl films is a win-win sitch. if you can find a frame of hudson that matches your helmet (drill hole for example) it could substantially increase the value of your helmet. if you find a frame that clearly shows hudson in sb3 wearing a helmet without the unique drill hole that appears on your helmet, you could still argue that the hole could have been made after sb3. and if all of the footage proves inconclusive you can pretty much rest assured that it is very unlikely anyone could ever, conclusively, point to any evidence that would disqualify your helmet as hudson's sb3 lid. if you do get your hands on these films pay special attention to sideline shots!

btw aren't the guys at helmet the absolute best? generous with their time, prompt replies to even the most esoteric inquiries. and, of course, their website is a godsend for anyone remotely interested in football helmets. heck, their website is a godsend for anyone remotely interested in the golden era of the game. i shudder to think how little we would know about football helmets if not for helmet hut. to curtis and the rest of the gang at helmet hut, thank you so much for the volumes of information you've so generously shared with us throughout the years!

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