2 Herschel Walker Georgia Helmets For Sale!!! [Archive]

aeneas01

09-18-2007, 01:35 AM

... however, have to believe one stands a better chance of winning the New Jersey State Lottery before seeing 2 Herschel Georgia helmets helmets listed at the same time on Ebay.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

you got that right my friend!

i also noticed that two walker lids were listed at the same time which prompted me to contact each seller requesting the helmet date codes. as it turns out, the guys know each other...

i had doubted the authenticity of the first helmet you linked to (the one in the display case) immediately given that the facemask is incorrect. and my doubts were confirmed when i received the date code from the seller - the helmet was manufactured in july of 1999. when i passed my findings along to the seller he responded with this short email:

"oh my goodness.....am going to my source immediately. have known this guy a long time too."

the seller of the second helmet was only able to make out the first digit of his date code given that it is covered by a black "34 walker" dymo tape which can be seen in his ad. he told me that in order to see the entire number he would have to peel the dymo tape off the lid which he was unwilling to do.

yet the fact that the date code is located where it is on his helmet disqualifies it from being an authentic walker helmet. this is because bike/ahi/schutt didn't start stamping the date code in this location (under the earhole) until 1984 - of course walker left georgia after 1982. the date code found on a walker georgia helmet should be located on the inside/back of the helmet which is where it was stamped prior to 1984.

i think it's worth mentioning that i've corresponded quite a bit with the second seller who seems like a nice enough guy - and as i've mentioned earlier he knows the seller of the other hw lid. when i told him his friend's lid was manufactured in july of 1999 he replied with this:

Hello , I know for a fact that the helmet that he has listed is earlier A LOT earlier that 1999. I held the helmet and studied that helmet and it is from the early '80s; know the facemask isn't but the helmet is. I know for a fact that it wasn't made in '99 because I have known him since '92 and he has had the helmet in the same exact place since I known him. Tomorrow I have to go to Athens and I will go talk to Parnell (the guy in charge of the UGA Museum) and in his office he has one of Herschel's helmet he wore in 1981 in his office. I will check to see where and what that serial number says. It seems that you are pretty confident that the other helmet on Ebay was made in 1999 and I know 110% that it was at least made before 1992. I'm not trying to argue with you but I know that your way off on that.

i asked him to be sure to get back to me with any info he finds at the uga museum - i hope he does. also, as you can tell from his email, he seems to be absolutely certain that his friend's lid is "a lot" older than 1999 and that i'm "way off on that."

all i can say is that based on the date code his friend sent me, there is absolutely no doubt that the lid was manufactured in 1999 - as a matter of fact the director of research, development and quality at schutt confirmed this as well. and he should know - not only does he know more about when, where and of what schutt helmets were made but he also develops and produces schutt's technical service bulletins which football helmet reconditioners depend on - bulletins such as tsb number 200504041: determing the age of schutt football helmet shells by molder's date code.

what i also found interesting is that the second seller knows that his friend's helmet is not authentic yet his friend continues to list it as an authentic helmet. the second seller also told me that his walker came from the house of walker's mother so he knows that it's authentic...

"Yes, I know the guy that is selling it very well. I actually called him to tell him that he is a copy cat for listing his after I did mine and he just laughed. The helmet is not Authentic. Herschel wore a medium and that helmet is a large, and yes the face mask is totally wrong... My helmet actually came from Herschel's mothers house, so I know mine is authentic. The guy that I got mine from has Herschel's helmet that he wore against Tech in '82; his last game at Sanford Stadium. I am trying to get that one from him, but he wants alot for it. That is why I am selling this helmet, and one of my jerseys. Sorry that I couldn't see the intire number, but I just don't want to tear up the tagging."

imo neither helmet is authentic...