It is a fact that people that love their football teams also love collecting all sorts of interesting football memorabilia. One of the most popular items that you can collect are NFL football helmets. You can easily find NFL football helmets for any team, old and new. One of the most popular ways to add to your NFL football helmet collection is to get helmets that are autographed by favorite players. But when you purchase a helmet, how do you know that it is authentic? Here is your guide to getting real NFL football helmets with autographs.

Are They Real?

When you want to purchase a real NFL football helmet with team member autographs, how do you determine whether or not the item is real? There are a lot of unscrupulous dealers out there that will try to sell you something that is not authentic. They will happily take your money leaving you with a product that is worthless. Before you buy any NFL merchandise that is advertised as authentic, you should do your research. That means that you should go online and read about NFL football helmets and look at NFL football helmet pictures. Get an idea of what real NFL football helmets look like so you know what to expect when you buy. If you are looking for something very specific, such as a Jerome Bettis autographed NFL football helmet, pictures on the Internet can also help you. See what his autograph looks like and how much authentic helmets with his signature sell for. If you find something that looks completely different than what you expect or someone is offering a price much lower, then it should give you a good idea that it might not be real.

Are They Authentic?

The next thing you will want to look for when you go to purchase NFL football team helmets is whether not they come with an official certificate of authenticity. This is usually called the “Steiner Sports Certificate of Authenticity”. If it doesn’t have one, then be wary. Any NFL full size football helmet that you buy at a dealer should have one of these certificates. If not, pass it up and look for another one. In addition, you should also be aware of the price you are paying. That is another reason you should carefully research your item. For example, a Dallas Cowboy football helmet that was used during a Superbowl or autographed by players such as Troy Aikman are worth far more than those from their losing seasons.