John Taylor Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 49ers Game Worn Helmet (Player Provenance)

[Auction robot]

It doesn't get much better than this! For your consideration is John Taylor's San Francisco 49ers rookie helmet, an absolute classic that smacks of game-worn authenticity in every way! This well used helmet protected John throughout multiple NFL seasons including the 49ers 1988 championship year which culminated in John's stunning game winning Super Bowl XXIII catch with 34 seconds remaining on the clock! That game winning catch, which culminated a 92 yard drive by the 49ers in the final three minutes, is remembered as one of the more notable moments in Super Bowl history.

John has signed this very special piece of NFL history as follows:

John Taylor #82
01/89 [Which indicates the month and year that Super Bowl XXIII was played]
My Game Used Helmet SB XXIII
Game Winning Touchdown

Recently voted as one of the top 25 greatest NFL draft steals of all time by ESPN, John enjoyed a tremendous career that included two pro bowl nods and three Super Bowl rings. Impressive to say the least but even more so when one considers that John had to compete for touches with Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice!

John's Air Power helmet presented here reflects solid game wear, has been reconditioned several times and sports a shell manufacturing date of September 1986 which matches perfectly with John's inaugural season. Although no longer manufactured, the Air Power helmet was a classic and the choice of many teammate stars including Montana, Lott, Craig and Rice. As was typical with 49ers helmets, John's game-worn helmet is molded of "Green Bay Gold" plastic and finished with San Francisco gold metallic paint. The interior sports a green-dot Air Power double bladder indicating a size large helmet, an All American reconditioning decal with the letter "L" and a strip of classic 49ers red dymo tape featuring John's number "82" in XL font.

Also worth noting, John's helmet reflects the subtle evolution of the 49ers helmet design. In 1989, the year following John's Super Bowl XXIII heroics, the 49ers changed the look of their helmet by adding a black outline to the "SF" lettering of the helmet decals; in 1991 the NFL shield was added. Both changes are reflected in this lot. Another item worth noting is John's classic Schutt facemask did not survive, nor did his chinstrap, but similar items originating from the 49ers locker room have been substituted.

Certainly a Hall of Fame caliber piece belonging to one of the most exciting receivers of the era, and worn in the most important game of any era - the Super Bowl! View Lot Detail page

[RKGIBSON]

Re: John Taylor Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 49ers Game Worn Helmet (Player Provenance)

What was the year that this helmet was used as it sits?

Roger

[aeneas01]

Re: John Taylor Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 49ers Game Worn Helmet (Player Provenance)

What was the year that this helmet was used as it sits?

Roger

are you asking what was the final year the helmet was used?

[RKGIBSON]

Re: John Taylor Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 49ers Game Worn Helmet (Player Provenance)

I guess my question is, was the helmet, as it sits, ever worn by Taylor? If so, what year? It appears to me to be speculation that this is actually the SB helmet. It appears to me that Taylor wore more than one helmet during his years with the 49ers. The upper face mask snaps appear to be in a different location. I am not saying it is not that shell, just want clarification as to what exactly proves this is the SB helmet.

Roger

[aeneas01]

Re: John Taylor Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 49ers Game Worn Helmet (Player Provenance)

absent of an exact photo match, "speculation" seems to come into play with just about every gamer made available at auction. in the case of the taylor helmet, taylor himself has stated that a) it's his rookie helmet and b) that it's the same helmet he wore in sb23 - i find this very compelling. not only does taylor make these claims, but the helmet just so happens to also have a manufacturing date that coincides perfectly with these statements - i find this even more compelling.

given that it's a pretty sure bet taylor is unfamiliar with schutt date codes, and considering the number of helmets he might have worn or had access to during his 10 year career with the 49ers, it strikes me as more than just dumb luck that this helmet dates so perfectly and jives so well with his claims. in short, the chances that the date code would have jived so well with taylor's statements upon close inspection were remote, yet it did.

as far as the location/alignment of the top facemask clips is concerned, i think they match up quite well. they seem to match up well when compared to the center of the helmet and they seem to match up well when compared to the distance from the shell edge. one thing to keep in mind is that taylor wore a schutt helmet - and schutt helmets do not have a 1" extrusion running along the center of the helmet, from front to back, as do riddell helmets. as such, consistent center striping with these helmets can often vary given equipment managers do not have the 1" extrusion to use as a guide. add to this, stripe widths varied as well.

it's also important to keep in mind that san francisco used a different "49ers" nose bumper decal during the sb23 era - one that is different than the one that appears on this helmet. as such, using the center stripes and/or the "49ers" bumper decal to determine top facemask clip positioning for comparison purposes can be misleading.

so in the end, what proof do we really have that this is taylor's sb23 helmet? we have taylor's word, a supporting date code, consistent inner shell markings/decals for that era and no obvious shell marks or alterations (drill holes, etc.) that would prove otherwise. is this enough for most collectors? considering what i've seen make the rounds as "game used", i think this helmet has a ton going for it.

if chris gets the chance, it would be interesting to see if taylor can remember how long he used this lid because you are correct, taylor did use more than one helmet during his career with the 49ers.

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