Bruce Smith helmet

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

I have a game used helmet of Bruce Smith with everything correct for a 1992 and 1991 gamer but it has a 7 that is different than what I expect on the back. It is the right font but the bottom of the 7 has tails. Any advice? Thanks

[mad87man]

can you post pics of it to get better help and understanding?

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Here is the link to the photos:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181069627984?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[DrJ]

The auction says Bruce Smith "style" helmet.

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

He could not guarantee game use even though he posted in game used section.

[helmets]

This was a used red helmet that the seller turned into a Smith style helmet

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Thanks

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Out of curiosity I would be curious to know why you think that excluding the 7, which might have legitimately been replaced due to damage? It is an air with the proper tagging modifications and fonts. I checked other sites and it seems to match. Do you have an example of what it should look like? I appreciate all the information. Thanks

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Sorry for the additional post. I checked out your Smith helmet. It is awesome. I took your advice and checked the reconditioning label and it says 1991. The photos of his helmet and yours seem consistent with the model, face mask, chin strap, and decals. The number inside the helmet is 131846. What does the number mean? Thanks

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

I found this auction, which shows that the Bills did use that style of number in the late 1980's. I'm curious how long helmets were used for and if numbers were reused or not.

[helmets]

Out of curiosity I would be curious to know why you think that excluding the 7, which might have legitimately been replaced due to damage? It is an air with the proper tagging modifications and fonts. I checked other sites and it seems to match. Do you have an example of what it should look like? I appreciate all the information. Thanks

When a person lists a helmet on ebay with the word "Style" or "Custom", that is an indication that they are being honest and that normally, the helmet was customized or modified to represent what that player used in terms of components on the helmet. That helmet at $199.99 with only one bidder is an example of a old used helmet that was customized to look like that of a Bruce Smith helmet.

Without having the helmet in a persons hands to examine it, it can often be difficult to determine whether or not a helmet is indeed a gamer. However, when I saw this helmet listed on ebay, I immediately noticed the following.

The helmet is a white shell that was painted red. The Bills and Smith wore molded red helmets. That is the most obvious thing that stuck out to me.

The helmet is a Pro AiR, or perhaps an AiR IV which was a youth helmet. Smith wore an AiR Power through at least 1997, not a Pro AiR.

Smith wore leather jaw pads early on and then switched to size small vinyl.

Smith wore an NJOP-SW mask. These are a bit more rare than the NJOP that is on your helmet. The seller could not find the proper mask, or did not want to use an NJOP-SW in white with the proper date code - (which would fetch over $100 itself, to a collector trying to make his Bruce Smith style helmet more realistic) so he hacked off the middle bar of the NJOP and painted the exposed metal ends white to conceal it.

The Bills wore a triple stripe on their Schutt or Bike helmets through at least 1997, and this helmet has three individual stripes.

Lastly, the decals look very nice and new - which is not a deal breaker, however, most of the gouges and scrapes on this helmet go under both the stripes and the decals, which leads me to believe that it never had these or other Bills decals on it during any play.

Other than that and perhaps the date code on the mask - which I cannot see, the helmet looks good and caught my attention when it was on ebay...for a minute.

Their was a very nice "Custom" Aaron Rodgers helmet on ebay that is very close in every detail to what Rodgers wears. It was listed at $450 - a far cry from the $15-20K that a Rodgers game used helmet would sell for.

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

How much should a game used Smith go for?

[gkdannecker@yahoo.com]

Thank you so much for taking the time to clarify your doubts. I wanted to clarify a few things. In regards to the stripes I found a few photos showing that there are three separate lines. I can email a photo to show why I think the lines on the helmet are legitimate. The NFL shield and the 8 seem to match. As to the style I would need more information on how to check. The face mask that Smith wears is unique as you mention. I checked photos and it seems that the normal style would be thicker and has a different bend on the side of the mask. It looks like a modified mask as you mention. The reconditioning label indicates 1991 which is consistent with the style. The ear protectors are vinyl but I checked and found photos in that era with him wearing them. Could you tell me what the code in the helmet says to better understand. Thanks

[42itus]

How much should a game used Smith go for?
Also curious.