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Back in November, several GUU members including myself received an email from someone looking to sell a "game used" Hank Aaron helmet. A few of the photos he sent are attached below. That exact helmet is now available in Mastro's current auction:
In the seller's original email to us, he stated "the dial puts the helmet to April of 1976." The interior photo below clearly shows that dial. The problem of course is that ABC didn't begin using numeral wheels until 1990, as far as I know. Doesn't matter much anyway because they definitely weren't using them in the mid-70s.
As I told the seller, the size and shape of the top padding, which is missing, also indicate a more current style, possibly one that wasn't used until Rawlings took over. The band padding isn't 70s-era either that I can tell. In my opinion, this helmet was made no earlier than the mid to late 90s.
A couple current ebay auctions for period padding comparison:
Mastro's description has already been modified once. "'Aaron" is written on the inside brow, and a very faint number "44" appears on the back." is in red so I'm guessing that's the modification. And given the following statement, Mastro obviously wants us to believe that there's a chance Aaron wore this:
"The possibility exists that this helmet was sported by Aaron sometime during his short tenure with the Brewers late in his prolific career, but our research has not been able to find any definitive supporting evidence."
The "foremost experts in the hobby" under one roof and this convoluted statement is their final verdict? No very reassuring given bidder rules 12 and 13:
12. No retractions of bids are permitted. Once a bid has been placed, it may not be retracted.
13. All Sales Are Final. No Returns Are Accepted.
In the seller's original email to us, he stated "the dial puts the helmet to April of 1976." The interior photo below clearly shows that dial. The problem of course is that ABC didn't begin using numeral wheels until 1990, as far as I know. Doesn't matter much anyway because they definitely weren't using them in the mid-70s.
As I told the seller, the size and shape of the top padding, which is missing, also indicate a more current style, possibly one that wasn't used until Rawlings took over. The band padding isn't 70s-era either that I can tell. In my opinion, this helmet was made no earlier than the mid to late 90s.
A couple current ebay auctions for period padding comparison:
Mastro's description has already been modified once. "'Aaron" is written on the inside brow, and a very faint number "44" appears on the back." is in red so I'm guessing that's the modification. And given the following statement, Mastro obviously wants us to believe that there's a chance Aaron wore this:
"The possibility exists that this helmet was sported by Aaron sometime during his short tenure with the Brewers late in his prolific career, but our research has not been able to find any definitive supporting evidence."
The "foremost experts in the hobby" under one roof and this convoluted statement is their final verdict? No very reassuring given bidder rules 12 and 13:
12. No retractions of bids are permitted. Once a bid has been placed, it may not be retracted.
13. All Sales Are Final. No Returns Are Accepted.
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