Tom Brady Game Worn Helmet?

[MallCopKJ]

Hey everyone,

Been a lurker for a while and envy a lot of you guys collections'. I bought this from a guy who's mother works with Dante Scarneccia's (Patriots offensive line coach) wife at an elementary school in Mansfield, Mass. He just had a baby and was selling an incredible collection of Boston sports items. A seat from the last season at Foxboro stadium and a seat from the first season at Gillette Stadium, tons of autographed jerseys, auto'd pictures, a Ray Bourque signed gamer,etc.

Anyways, the Scarneccia family and his family got pretty close and Susan Scarneccia gave this to him as a Christmas present a few years back.

It's got all the proper tagging IMO, the "XL VSR4" stamp (fakes seem to be a regular sized "Proline" Riddell and Brady is one of only a few players who has always worn the "XL" VSR4). The NFL Bolt radio sticker on the back has the "right" epoxy vinyl feel to it. There is a small, circular "worn" spot which does look like it could have had the radio piece stuck to it next to the ear hole, which I took a picture of and added below.

I would appreciate any thoughts. I will basically take a bunch of pictures from different angles and see what you guys think.

https://i.imgur.com/bPsgJcT.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/l9WCh1d.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/IRbGWka.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/g8CDaxg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6ygQR8r.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/j6JTuF/bradyhelmet1.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7zaG6yo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dQshJPV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/blarIXO.jpg

[coyot51]

Every detail seems to be on the right place... everything just looks authentic.
Seems you have a nice one here, man!

[bgakladd]

Every detail seems to be on the right place... everything just looks authentic.
Seems you have a nice one here, man!

I disagree. It looks like somebody's tampered with the helmet's padding inside. The xl bumper pad has a medium one installed and look at the outside air valves. It clearly shows the padding has been taken out and not properly installed if it was replaced. That's just for starters.....

[paul457]

Some things I noticed:

* I don’t remember the Pats ever having a thin font Patriots front bumper decal during Brady’s time. It was a riddell logo up through like 2014?
* the American flag doesn’t have thick white border
* the red side shock blockers were used for almost a decade before they switched to the newer style

Questions:
* are there any reconditioning stickers inside?
* are the back number decals metallic or solid navy? It’s a very faint flake so look in the bright light
* same question on the side logos
* is there a number code on the face mask?

I have some pictures of Pats helmets from their HOF That i could post for reference, to check the decals and such. But I’m seeing a few red flags.

[MallCopKJ]

Some things I noticed:

* I don’t remember the Pats ever having a thin font Patriots front bumper decal during Brady’s time. It was a riddell logo up through like 2014?
* the American flag doesn’t have thick white border
* the red side shock blockers were used for almost a decade before they switched to the newer style

Questions:
* are there any reconditioning stickers inside?
* are the back number decals metallic or solid navy? It’s a very faint flake so look in the bright light
* same question on the side logos
* is there a number code on the face mask?

I have some pictures of Pats helmets from their HOF That i could post for reference, to check the decals and such. But I’m seeing a few red flags.

Thanks for the post! What exactly does the reconditioning sticker look like? There is a sticker inside near the ear hole that looks painted over. I will have to check the back numbers but the side logo's almost look like they have a sparkle/shimmer to/in them. I will check the face mask as well. I think there are "04" and "07" numbers on them.


I did find this online by the way:

https://image.ibb.co/kLG9WR/bradyhelmet5.jpg


The font looks like it matches and you can see a small, what almost looks like a divot in the paint which also looks the same on the helmet I have. The color of the clips is also clear.

[NYRangers]

Could you take a photo of your helmet at close to same angle as seen in the photo posted of TB? Thanks and best of luck!

[MallCopKJ]

Could you take a photo of your helmet at close to same angle as seen in the photo posted of TB? Thanks and best of luck!

Hey! Here you go:

https://image.ibb.co/bWCDQm/Bradyhelmet7.jpg

[ivo610]

Hey! Here you go:

https://image.ibb.co/bWCDQm/Bradyhelmet7.jpg

Not even close

[helmets]

Font isnt the same on the nose bumper decals. Check out the S at the end.

Additionally, Paul asked some great questions, which I don't believe you have answered. Are the numbers (#12) on the rear of the helmet metallic or plain blue? Please post a close up picture of them.

Just like most of the HND-9 Rawlings Ridge helmet out there becomes a Terry Bradshaw helmet, many, many XL Silver VSR4 helmets become Tom Brady's.

Nice helmet to display but certainly not Tom Brady's.

[paul457]

If you believe your source is legit I’d go back through the channels to see if you can get more of a backstory.

If it has reconditioning labels inside, and authentic side logos and number decals, the story gets even more intriguing.

I wouldn’t write it off yet, but as helmets said there are a lot of copies out there.

Recon labels are usually white and green, pasted on the inside (sometimes under the padding), and are dated.

[bgakladd]

Here is a close up of a Brady game worn helmet with the proper green dot decal on back. Was the other style ever used in the NFL?

[MallCopKJ]

Here is a close up of a Brady game worn helmet with the proper green dot decal on back. Was the other style ever used in the NFL?

Thanks for posting! Is that certified as real? To me, that looks like the fake stickers which sell on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-NFL-Football-Radio-Helmet-Decal-Green-Lightning/231874428763?epid=528341305&hash=item35fccaff5b:g:rl8AAOSw5dNWlmSs

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rl8AAOSw5dNWlmSs/s-l500.jpg

Someone that had looked at the helmet I bought said the sticker on it was correct because of the "rubbery" feeling it had, as the NFL helmet stickers are sprayed with apoxy. The one in the image you posted looks like a regular sticker and not one that appears to have the apoxy on it.

The thickness on the one you posted also appears the same as the one's found on Ebay.

[bgakladd]

Thanks for posting! Is that certified as real? To me, that looks like the fake stickers which sell on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Custom-NFL-Football-Radio-Helmet-Decal-Green-Lightning/231874428763?epid=528341305&hash=item35fccaff5b:g:rl8AAOSw5dNWlmSs

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rl8AAOSw5dNWlmSs/s-l500.jpg

Someone that had looked at the helmet I bought said the sticker on it was correct because of the "rubbery" feeling it had, as the NFL helmet stickers are sprayed with apoxy. The one in the image you posted looks like a regular sticker and not one that appears to have the apoxy on it.

The thickness on the one you posted also appears the same as the one's found on Ebay.
MallCopKJ ..... The top photo is a cropped photo of Tom Brady's game worn helmet. I was comparing it to yours and the green dot that is on your helmet. Hope I wasnt confusing you by just showing a section of it. I will put the game worn helmet of Brady's in full view.

[MallCopKJ]

UPDATE:

So from what I have been told, the NFLPA and Tristar do not allow Tom to inscribe, "Game Used" on items. With that said, he did sign the helmet and gave it a "unique" inscription which is cool.

https://preview.ibb.co/gfNLvR/bradyhelmet.png (https://ibb.co/d634N6)

[ivo610]

UPDATE:

So from what I have been told, the NFLPA and Tristar do not allow Tom to inscribe, "Game Used" on items. With that said, he did sign the helmet and gave it a "unique" inscription which is cool.

https://preview.ibb.co/gfNLvR/bradyhelmet.png (https://ibb.co/d634N6)

I’ve never heard of the NFLPA banning players from inscribing game used before. That’s interesting someone told you that.

[MallCopKJ]

I’ve never heard of the NFLPA banning players from inscribing game used before. That’s interesting someone told you that.

I had actually been told that by Don Yee's secretary (Tom's agent). She also said he has a strict limit on the number of signatures he can sign in a year. I can't imagine there being like a strict penalty or something for signing your autograph? Guessing this is limited to appearance signings.

[emann]

I’ve never heard of the NFLPA banning players from inscribing game used before. That’s interesting someone told you that.

I wouldn't be surprised that was part of the agreement with the promotion putting on the signing. Maybe NFLPA negotiates some portion of these deals at a certain level? Brady being about as big as they can get . . .

Seems to be common with baseball players—for example, Ortiz hasn't been allowed to sign "game used" for awhile now.

[ivo610]

I wouldn't be surprised that was part of the agreement with the promotion putting on the signing. Maybe NFLPA negotiates some portion of these deals at a certain level? Brady being about as big as they can get . . .

Seems to be common with baseball players—for example, Ortiz hasn't been allowed to sign "game used" for awhile now.

I understand not wanting to put game used on items and a lot of places frowning upon on it, but I’m having a hard time believing the NFLPA bans Brady from what he writes.

[jojac]

Brady typically does a couple of private signings every year with a starting price of around $900 per item. I'm pretty sure it's TriStar who dictates what he can or can't inscribe.
I heard he avoids public signings because doesn't want to charge kids for his autograph.
Fanatics reps at public signings were the ones who approve what Ortiz, Betts and Bogaerts could inscribed on an item. Good luck getting anything inscribed game useD. Of course Fanatics will be more than happy to sell you a game used item with an inscription from any of those players.

[sportsnbikes]

Brady typically does a couple of private signings every year with a starting price of around $900 per item. I'm pretty sure it's TriStar who dictates what he can or can't inscribe.
I heard he avoids public signings because doesn't want to charge kids for his autograph.
Fanatics reps at public signings were the ones who approve what Ortiz, Betts and Bogaerts could inscribed on an item. Good luck getting anything inscribed game useD. Of course Fanatics will be more than happy to sell you a game used item with an inscription from any of those players.

I can’t stand fanatics and their stupid BS rules. They wouldn’t let Hosmer sign Game Used on a bat the was MLB Game Used. Can’t stand them.

[MallCopKJ]

UPDATE 2:

So the helmet was looked at pretty extensively by a few sources. Riddell confirmed that the helmet was the right color and had the correct paint. It also has the correct padding for Brady. They confirmed it was definitely a "Game Ready, Pro Style Helmet" but cannot confirm it being worn by Tom or not.

It was also confirmed by Shutt that the "date code" on the face mask is 1995. Do players generally wear "newly" manufactured masks? Would this be a sign it's not real or is it feasible that he might wear a mask made in 95? Not sure.

The green helmet sticker on the back indicated it being a genuine sticker from the NFL as it has the proper epoxy "glaze", different from replicas available on Ebay, etc.

A concern was the flag on the back missing the white border.

Another good sign was the small worn spot which is in the correct area for the microphone inside the helmet.

It seems to be a general consensus that the helmet itself is a real, game ready, player issued helmet but the question still remains, was it worn by Tom.

One suggestion is that it was a practice worn/used helmet. I have a friend with ties to a few retired Patriots who offered to show pictures to them to see if they can offer any feedback on potential authenticity. This source also is friends with Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who the helmet is said to have come from (via his wife).

If anyone has any feedback on the above new info, I would appreciate it. Going to continue digging.

[bgakladd]

You amaze me with your findings on your helmet. Can you explain the two dark yellow/mustard color areas in these photos? One by the jaw pad and the other on top of the center ridge of the helmet. Just curious on your opinion. Only an opinion of why it's that color if you can. :)

[MallCopKJ]

You amaze me with your findings on your helmet. Can you explain the two dark yellow/mustard color areas in these photos? One by the jaw pad and the other on top of the center ridge of the helmet. Just curious on your opinion. Only an opinion of why it's that color if you can. :)

Thanks! I was told that the "shell" of Patriots helmets are gold and "painted to order" with the silver sparkle over the gold shell. This was info directly from Riddell and also confirmed by this picture I took of a known Brady Game Worn helmet which is on display in Boston at the NFL Gridiron Exhibit at the Museum of Science.

https://preview.ibb.co/mjARCG/20171104_164044.jpg (https://ibb.co/mstPzw)

[paul457]

Hard to tell for sure, but the helmet in your picture looks like a Riddell Revolution. I don’t believe Brady ever wore a revolution. I’ve seen him in a Riddell Speed for a couple of games, otherwise I’ve only seen him in the vsr4.

[bgakladd]

Hard to tell for sure, but the helmet in your picture looks like a Riddell Revolution. I donÂ’t believe Brady ever wore a revolution. IÂ’ve seen him in a Riddell Speed for a couple of games, otherwise IÂ’ve only seen him in the vsr4.
That is a Riddell Revolution helmet. I was curious about this helmet too so I contacted the Museum of Science in Boston. An employee there told me all items they exhibited there was sent to the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa for the next Gridiron Glory exhibit thats begins Feb. 3. The Putnam Museum told me they have no game worn Tom Brady Patriots helmets from what they have seen from looking though all items they have looked at. The employee at the Museum of Science in Boston said that most of the Patriots items featured at their exhibit came from The Hall At Patriots Place. After contacting them I was told they do not have any game worn helmets of Brady's and they said they don't recall him wearing the Revolution helmet but that other players certanly did. They want to know if numbers anywhere on the helmet or if the back of the helmet area photos can be provided. The posted Revolution helmet picture was sent to them to see if they can match it to any of the helmets they have in their possesion. Both the Putnam Museum and The Hall At Patriots Place are doing more research for me. MallCopKJ can you provide photos of the full helmet and the back for us???

[MallCopKJ]

That is a Riddell Revolution helmet. I was curious about this helmet too so I contacted the Museum of Science in Boston. An employee there told me all items they exhibited there was sent to the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa for the next Gridiron Glory exhibit thats begins Feb. 3. The Putnam Museum told me they have no game worn Tom Brady Patriots helmets from what they have seen from looking though all items they have looked at. The employee at the Museum of Science in Boston said that most of the Patriots items featured at their exhibit came from The Hall At Patriots Place. After contacting them I was told they do not have any game worn helmets of Brady's and they said they don't recall him wearing the Revolution helmet but that other players certanly did. They want to know if numbers anywhere on the helmet or if the back of the helmet area photos can be provided. The posted Revolution helmet picture was sent to them to see if they can match it to any of the helmets they have in their possesion. Both the Putnam Museum and The Hall At Patriots Place are doing more research for me. MallCopKJ can you provide photos of the full helmet and the back for us???

Thank you for the post and for the research! Going back through all the pictures I took you are absolutely right I was mistaken that the picture with the gold paint was a Brady helmet. The Revolution one was Rob Gronkowski.

https://preview.ibb.co/d2T4ob/20171104_164047.jpg (https://ibb.co/finauG)

Here the pictures I have of the Brady locket

[MallCopKJ]

Fat fingers submitted that last post lol. Here are the pictures I have of the Brady Walker which included a jersey pants and helmet gloves pads cleats etc.

https://preview.ibb.co/hGfjob/20171104_164119.jpg (https://ibb.co/iAfTEG)

https://preview.ibb.co/d3SrZG/20171104_164129.jpg (https://ibb.co/iSWJEG)

https://preview.ibb.co/nBUr1w/20171104_164109.jpg (https://ibb.co/metJgw)

https://preview.ibb.co/dPkygw/20171104_164017_0.jpg (https://ibb.co/kxG4Mw)

[bgakladd]

Thank you for the post and for the research! Going back through all the pictures I took you are absolutely right I was mistaken that the picture with the gold paint was a Brady helmet. The Revolution one was Rob Gronkowski.

https://preview.ibb.co/d2T4ob/20171104_164047.jpg (https://ibb.co/finauG)

Here the pictures I have of the Brady locket
I might not be as knowledgeable as you on football helmets MallCop, but didn't Rob Gronkowski wear Riddell Speed helmets since his rookie season? When did he wear a Revolution helmet?

[goldspeed101]

Is there any truth to the patriots using gold helmets and then painting them silver? I had never heard that!

[patsfan98]

That is a Riddell Revolution helmet. I was curious about this helmet too so I contacted the Museum of Science in Boston. An employee there told me all items they exhibited there was sent to the Putnam Museum in Davenport, Iowa for the next Gridiron Glory exhibit thats begins Feb. 3. The Putnam Museum told me they have no game worn Tom Brady Patriots helmets from what they have seen from looking though all items they have looked at. The employee at the Museum of Science in Boston said that most of the Patriots items featured at their exhibit came from The Hall At Patriots Place. After contacting them I was told they do not have any game worn helmets of Brady's and they said they don't recall him wearing the Revolution helmet but that other players certanly did. They want to know if numbers anywhere on the helmet or if the back of the helmet area photos can be provided. The posted Revolution helmet picture was sent to them to see if they can match it to any of the helmets they have in their possesion. Both the Putnam Museum and The Hall At Patriots Place are doing more research for me. MallCopKJ can you provide photos of the full helmet and the back for us???
Kind of an old thread- but yes Brady did wear a revolution helmet. Very short period (I believe practice only, but can be wrong). Ive attached a picture for reference.
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