WALTER PAYTON STYLE, WILSON F2000 FOOTBALL HELMET - RARE!!! TEAM ISSUE?

Description

CHICAGO BEARS
WALTER PAYTON STYLE
USED WILSON, F2000.
TEAM ISSUE(?)
____________________
This helmet originally came with broken gray clips, no face mask, chinstrap or jaw pads back when I originally picked it up it in 2003. It was painted navy blue (over a navy blue shell), and had several “ghosts” of Bears-style “C” residue.
It certainly appeared to be a used, Chicago Bears helmet to me. Unfortunately, the lady I obtained it from didn’t have very useful information on it, let alone a COA of any sort.
My belief that this was once a Bears helmet include the following:
-
The painted navy-blue helmet was a common practice of Bears in the 70’s and early 80’s, as it was of several teams. The color appears to be right on compared to other painted helmets I’ve compared it against from this era.
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The rare, Wilson brand football helmet that was a signature of the Chicago Bears for decades (used by Sayers, Butkus, Ditka, to name a few). Walter Payton also favored Wilson helmets right up to his retirement in 1987. He was the last player in the NFL to use a Wilson football helmet. (More on that later.)
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Lastly, Payton used a smaller helmet; about 6 ½ to 7 ¼. This helmet is about a 7.
Please note: I am not saying this was Walter Payton’s helmet!
I am only speculating it fits a few of the criteria that this might have been a Chicago Bears helmet.
I replaced the mask, clips, chinstrap including the ultra-rare Mil-Mont lip guard, and paper-thin, team-issued, “C” decals from a friend associated with the league.
Also of note, The Bears hoarded a large number of Wilson helmets to accommodate Payton after Wilson stopped making helmets during that period. The reason was that Walter often traded his helmets with other players in the NFL (see picture of me next to that display). This fact was highlighted at The Lake County (IL) Museum in ’04 -‘05 when they did a tribute exhibition to Payton. The museum built a locker display that had all the parts of his uniform hanging in it donated from his family…except a helmet. Another display had several of the other helmets he obtained from other players, but not his.
This is where I come in.
Before the exhibit, the exhibitors contacted me to ask to use my helmet for the display of which I was more than happy – and honored – to do!
This is the helmet used for his locker display at the exhibit (see pictures).
Finally, the last several pictures are of the event including this helmet on display in locker as well as me next to it. The placard above the helmet reads “Replica Chicago Bears helmet. 1970’s. On loan from Jeff McAvoy.” [Me!]
From the *“private reserve” collection.
This helmet is a **”hybrid gamer”.
BRAND –
Wilson
MODEL –
F2000
SIZE –
7 (?)
PRODUCTION DATE –
n/a
SHELL –
impregnated, navy blue shell. Painted Navy blue.
FACEMASK –
70’s Schutt, original gray OPO red dot. Some minor scuffing and gouges.
CLIPS –
4x gray replacement clips from my friends at Helmet Hut.
JAW PADS –
2 vintage leather Riddell medium leather.
PADDING –
Excellent condition for age. One minor gouge in side padding, but not broken through (see picture),
CHINSTRAP –
2 point-low Adams hard cup, with very rare, Mil-Mont lip guard – new, out of package.
DECALS –
paper thin, team issue!
OTHER NOTES –
I never had the helmet authenticated other than showing it to a few people “in the know”. The reason being, I never really planned on it leaving my possession! However, I now find myself in a position of having to make this helmet available to other Bears fans and/or helmet enthusiasts.
ALL
MY HELMETS AND HELMET COMPONENTS ARE NOT INTENTED FOR PROTECTION OR COMPETITIVE USE, THEY ARE
ALL
FOR DISPLAY PURPOSES ONLY.
THANKS FOR LOOKING AND HAPPY EBAY-ING!
**
hybrid gamer –
Like many of the helmets I acquire, this one is an actual team-issued, and/or game-used, NFL helmet. Although it from an NFL team, the player who used it was un-identifiable, an end-of-the-roster player, or someone who was only briefly on the team. In these instances, the helmet was modified to the specification of a particular player.  All that said, this is a game used team helmet, but probably not by the player it is modeled after. (Then again, it
could
be!)
I often acquire these helmets from people who have worked in the NFL, other collectors and auction, or simply by people who picked them/it up through some unusual circumstances. That said, they usually
do not
come with a COA or other pertinent information. When this info is available, I will always list as much content as possible or include any other provided information with the sale of the helmet or helmet parts.
* “private reserve”
In addition to helmet from my own collection, these are helmets on consignment from various collectors and sellers. These helmets are typically rare and highly-prized helmets which is reflected in their set price.  Depending on the collector, some of these helmets may be available for trade as well, so please don’t hesitate to ask questions!