Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Counts
Here's a Pirates batting helmet from my collection, and I'm wondering if there's any way to verify it's vintage? These were remade a few years ago (along with the Dodgers), but the inside of the remake looks very different than this. I realize it's possible that someone has repurposed an old helmet to create this, but it did come from an old collection with other great vintage material, so it's also possible it's legitimate. Any help is very much appreciated. Thanks, Chris
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Tough to tell from the pics, what’s going on there…
As for the inner shell, it’s a perfect early ‘60s example. The labeling, style of padding and fiiberglass lines are all indicative of the 1961-65 period. I have Angels and Tigers examples that match it to a tee.
The outer shell is more of a conundrum. Normally the outer fiberglass surface would look similar to what you see on the inside (with the visible lines). Yours appears to be repainted or re-surfaced. I know Manny Sanguillen used one that was “flocked” and similar to what you have. Wish I could see it clearer on my cell, but I lean towards thinking yours had its exterior restored. I know they used these helmets until they cracked, and many were repainted by the teams back in the day. Could be the case here.
But the “P” especially looks newer (and thicker) than the normal “P” they utilized at the time. The wear on the “P” does not appear commensurate with the helmet’s age, or the remainder of the helmet.
So my guess is it’s an original example that was restored at some point in time. Hope that’s helpful, and perhaps Mike K. can shed some additional light.