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View Full Version : SCP Johnny Unitas "Game Used" Helmet



aeneas01
04-21-2011, 06:51 AM
http://www.scpauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=15159&searchby=3&searchvalue=unitas&page=0&sortby=0&displayby=2&lotsperpage=100&category=1&seo=JOHNNY-UNITAS#

i've contacted dave kohler of scp auctions to let him know that the unitas "gamer" he has listed, consigned by and including a letter from unitas' son johnny unitas jr., is so riddled with glaring problems that there's not even a remote possibility that it could be the real deal in my opinion.

first, the fact that it was manufactured by gladiator athletic equipment is alone enough of a deal breaker (especially considering the type of gladiator helmet it is). unitas sported riddell helmets throughout his career with the colts which is convincingly and undeniably supported by the ample film footage and photos available of unitas, one of the nfl's most photographed icons. The unitas game photo (below, right) shows the riddell manufacturer’s mark you would expect to find on an authentic unitas gamer as opposed to the gladiator mark found on the auction helmet (left):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z08-2.jpg

here’s a better look at the type of riddell manufacturing mark that would be found on an authentic unitas game used helmet, depending on the year used. note that the “KRA-LITE, MADE IN U.S.A.” matches the above game photo on the right:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z09-1.jpg

the auction helmet is fitted with two additional chinstrap snaps mounted to the helmet shell - this is another immediate deal breaker in terms of the helmet’s authenticity. the only chinstrap snaps that would be found on an authentic unitas helmet would be the two mounted to the facemask. unitas (nor any other quarterback from that era) would have worn a helmet fitted with four chinstrap snaps. the auction helmet is also fitted with a nose snubber, which protrudes from the front lip of the helmet. unitas’ helmet from this era (1970-1972) was not fitted with a nose snubber:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z13.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z10-1.jpg

further, the letter from johnny unitas jr. states that the helmet is from the early 1960’s. this is not possible given that gladiator did not begin manufacturing football helmets until the late 1960’s. also, the “riddell” font on the chinstrap and facemask was not introduced until roughly 1970. as such this helmet could not be from the early 1960’s nor could the chinstrap and facemask be original to an early 1960's helmet as the letter states. unitas wore helmets with this profile (rounded, "tk" style) from 1956-1963 (which can be eliminated) and then again from 1970-1972. The top photo shows the riddell chinstrap and facemask fonts found on the auction helmet, a font that wasn’t introduced until about 1970. the two photos on the bottom show the riddell font used in the early 1960’s through the late 1960’s, before the font was changed to what appears on the auction helmet:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/z11-1.jpg

these are just a few of the glaring issues that easily disqualify the auction helmet from being an authentic unitas gamer, there are many, many other issues that i didn’t bother to address. I also believe, considering the interior condition of the helmet, that it was never used during competitive play at any level regardless of the exterior condition and despite claims in the lot description. the lot description also incorrectly states that gladiator helmets were made by riddell - this is not true. gladiator was an independent sports equipment manufacturing company, started in the late 1960's, that competed directly with riddell and other sports equipment companies of that era. in the mid to late 1980's, riddell purchased gladiator along with other failing helmet manufacturers - but during the unitas era, riddell had nothing to do with gladiator.

there are countless autographed unitas helmets in circulation dressed as colts helmets, many are even authentic nfl model helmets that unitas signed for fans, albeit not authentic unitas game used helmets. but given that the auction helmet was consigned by unitas’ son, it is certainly possible that it may have very well originated from the colts’ locker room. but if that was the case, the auction helmet would most likely be nothing more than a rejected gladiator salesman sample that colts equipment manager fred schubach put together to look like a unitas gamer, a practice that was not at all uncommon during that era.

this is the sixth unitas “game used” helmet that has surfaced at auction in the last five or so years and none have been the real deal. further, this helmet is much less convincing than most of the others that have surfaced.

...

cohibasmoker
04-21-2011, 08:00 AM
Robert is back in the House

CollectGU
04-21-2011, 08:19 AM
Great, great stuff Robert. You are a true asset to the hobby....

Dave

slats7
04-21-2011, 03:46 PM
Nice work. With so much $ at stake, they will no doubt blow you off and go with the son's (dubious) testimonial. But like you said, if he truly wore it, then it shouldn't be that hard to find a photo of him doing so. Yet, they can't.

ChrisCavalier
04-21-2011, 06:18 PM
Great work Robert. This is no doubt very valuable information for collectors.

Thanks again,
Chris

halzeus
04-21-2011, 06:26 PM
Robert,

Your posts are always interesting and informative.

As someone with an interest in football helmets, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Great job.

aeneas01
04-21-2011, 10:05 PM
imo one has to wonder how scp goes about authenticating some of their items - for example, it appears that with the unitas helmet they simply took unitas jr.'s word and assumed the letter from unitas jr. was authentication enough. the same seems true with the bob cousy celtics shirt scp has listed - it comes with a "letter of acknowledgement" from cousy which apparently is authentication enough? (btw, did the celtics numbers look like that in 1950, cousy's rookie year?). whatever the case it doesn't appear that either of these seemingly high dollar items were looked at by professional authenticators, at least no mention of this is made in the lot descriptions.

regarding authentication, scp's website states:

The provenance and authenticity of the items offered by SCP Auctions have been researched extensively. Where appropriate, we have employed the services of the foremost independent authentication firms such as PSA or SGC for card grading and authentication services; PSA/DNA (Professional Sports Authenticator), and JSA (James Spence Authentication) for autograph authentication, and MEARS (Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services) and PSA/DNA for game used equipment. LOA’s (Letters of Authenticity) from third party authenticators, as well as those from relevant sources, are indicated in the lot or item description at www.scpauctions.com (http://www.scpauctions.com) for any auction or direct sale items.

was the unitas helmet and the cousy shirt "researched extensively"? if so, by whom i wonder....

getting back to the unitas helmet, here's another autographed "johnny unitas game used" gladiator suspension model that sold on ebay some time back. the helmet on the left in the photo below is the scp helmet, the helmet on the right is the ebay helmet. hmm...

a few notes: a) the ebay helmet is fitted with the type of chinstrap and facemask that would have accompanied these types of gladiator helmets. these stock items were removed from the scp helmet and replaced with authentic circa 1970 riddell chinstrap and facemask b) note the same type of vinyl crown suspension c) note the same "tru-size" helmet decal on the back, circled in red.

needless to say, the ebay helmet is not an authentic unitas gamer either...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/ju2-1.jpg

...

both-teams-played-hard
04-21-2011, 10:52 PM
Robert

Thanks for taking the time to post this information.

trsent
04-22-2011, 12:43 AM
The provenance and authenticity of the items offered by SCP Auctions have been researched extensively. Where appropriate, we have employed the services of the foremost independent authentication firms such as PSA or SGC for card grading and authentication services; PSA/DNA (Professional Sports Authenticator), and JSA (James Spence Authentication) for autograph authentication, and MEARS (Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services) and PSA/DNA for game used equipment. LOA’s (Letters of Authenticity) from third party authenticators, as well as those from relevant sources, are indicated in the lot or item description at www.scpauctions.com (http://www.scpauctions.com) for any auction or direct sale items.


I thought MEARS would only grade items for auction houses that signed their contract to let MEARS audit their bidding to be sure no shill bidding was taking place. Unless something changed, I could have sworn only one auction house agreed to these terms. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it was REA, right?

aeneas01
04-24-2011, 11:10 AM
I thought MEARS would only grade items for auction houses that signed their contract...

yes, mears has made that pretty clear in the past, that rea was the only house that abided by mears' terms and therefore was the only house mears would work with. yet scp states that they employ mears's services for game used equipment evaluation. obviously mears did not evaluate scp's unitas "gamer". in fact, as i mentioned before, it appears that no industry recognized evaluator looked at the helmet given scp typically mentions this sort of thing in their lot descriptions - as such scp is apparently basing the helmet's authenticity purely on the letter from unitas jr.

anyway, unfortunately it looks like the folks at scp have decided to let it ride - hopefully it won't meet the reserve which would mean that a collector won't get hurt i guess. nonetheless, i think scp would at least want to clean up the problems with their lot description which they've been made aware of, problems that would no doubt mislead potential bidders.

1. stating in the lot description that riddell made gladiator helmets in the 1960's is not only completely false, but it also comes across as an intentional effort to mislead, i.e. an attempt to tie gladiator helmets to the riddell helmets unitas was known to wear throughout his career.

2. scp should make it clear that no industry recognizable evaluator looked at or authenticated this helmet.

3. scp should make it clear that the letter from unitas jr. is incorrect, that the helmet is not from the early 1960's as unitas jr. has stated. in fact the patent for this helmet wasn't even filed until 1969 as can be determined by the visible patent pending number on the helmet's padding.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/p01.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/p02.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y238/aeneas1/p03.jpg

http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=03590388&PageNum=1&&IDKey=DCD9F1F0D231&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526u=%25252Fne tahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-adv.htm%2526r=15%2526p=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PA LL%2526S1=796336%2526OS=796336%2526RS=796336

anyway you would think an auction house would want to give prospective bidders a better shake on an item such as this, would want to provide bidders with all available information.

aeneas01
05-01-2011, 11:08 PM
helmet didn't hit the reserve with the final bid coming in at $38k (from what i could tell). someone saved a bundle on a very, very suspect helmet...

cohibasmoker
05-11-2011, 06:37 AM
helmet didn't hit the reserve with the final bid coming in at $38k (from what i could tell). someone saved a bundle on a very, very suspect helmet...

Just got home from vacation and after answering emails, I checked to see if the Unitas helmet sold. Considering the information that Robert supplied, I was surprised that the auction continued up and until its conclusion.


Jim