Chicago Bears Rawlings Ridge Helmet

[beantown]

Hello...did anyone on the forum happen to obtain this item on Ebay?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Chicago-Bears-Full-Size-Game-Helmet-Rawlings_W0QQitemZ170192101285QQihZ007QQcategoryZ3 7667QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It's possible that this helmet is black impregnated....wow!!!!

[aeneas01]

wow is right! it's mint and it certainly appears to be black instead of chicago blue when compared to the attached facemask. some quick collector probably picked it up for a song - man, ya gotta love ebay! i emailed the seller and asked if he/she wouldn't mind letting me know what price it took to end the auction early; let's see if i hear back! my guess is that lou lampson would give that thing a coa in a heartbeat if someone slapped some ebay steelers decals on it and claimed that it was a gift from bradshaw!

i've always loved rawlings lids, especially the ridge - not sure if it's because of the ridge's rarity or simply because it's a very unique looking helmet. i own about dozen ridge helmets, unfortunately only about 4-5 are the pro hnd9 model (bradshaw, dorsett). i have one rawlings ridge that has the same, identical perforated leather padding as the hnd9 but the crown suspension unit is different - because of this the classic rawlings screws holding the suspension unit in place are positioned differently when compared to the hnd9.

i also have quite a few rawlings headliner lids (jack lamdert) - i really like these helmets as well. now if i could ever get the time to recondition some of these beauties....

[aeneas01]

btw beantown, how did you come across this helmet? the auction ended a week ago...

[beantown]

btw beantown, how did you come across this helmet? the auction ended a week ago...

I had it on my watch list and I tried to contact the seller to see if it was still available, but no response.....you need to get some of your Ridge and JRC helmets reconditioned...those are beauties!

[aeneas01]

i heard back from the seller and he said that he let it go for a steal- here is what he said...

Unfortunately I did. I obviously had no clue about the helmet. Lesson learned I guess. Expensive one.

btw did you see the other ridge that just ended? it went for $220 - here's a photo:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/220.jpg

it's not an hnd-9, it's an hnd-p (pro). i have one in mint condition and the only difference between the two models is the positioning of the crown padding which can be seen by comparing the screw placements. the rest of the padding is identical, perforated leather, thick, etc.

for the buyer's sake i hope it's not one of those that has the stripe impregnated into the shell - i have one such ridge and i'm thinking it will make it a little more difficult to recondition. really weird, the stripes are actually inlaid into the helmet, part of the helmet shell. i suppose this would have been a benefit to equipment managers, not having to constantly retape stripes....

[beantown]

i heard back from the seller and he said that he let it go for a steal- here is what he said...

Unfortunately I did. I obviously had no clue about the helmet. Lesson learned I guess. Expensive one.

btw did you see the other ridge that just ended? it went for $220 - here's a photo:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/220.jpg

it's not an hnd-9, it's an hnd-p (pro). i have one in mint condition and the only difference between the two models is the positioning of the crown padding which can be seen by comparing the screw placements. the rest of the padding is identical, perforated leather, thick, etc.

for the buyer's sake i hope it's not one of those that has the stripe impregnated into the shell - i have one such ridge and i'm thinking it will make it a little more difficult to recondition. really weird, the stripes are actually inlaid into the helmet, part of the helmet shell. i suppose this would have been a benefit to equipment managers, not having to constantly retape stripes....


Yep, I saw that helmet as well....sometimes these helmets are never around and other times....when it rains it pours!!!