A new collectable

Riddell introduced a new collectable helmet titled the “midi.” At 7.5 inches, it’s in between a mini and a full size helmet. Riddell generally makes five types of collectables. There are varying alternates and throwbacks in all the styles.

Full size – about 11 inches
Midi (new) – about 7.5 inches
Mini – about 5.5 inches
Helmet of Players – about 4 inches
Pocket – about 2 inches
Trackers – about 1.5 inches

Some may wonder: what was the helmet of players? The helmet of players was a large helmet that included tiny figures, kind of like army men. They were made in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I guess. They had the same packaging as pocket helmets from the time. I purchased a KC Chiefs one and would like to collect all the teams. They go for about $25 each on eBay, so I will likely stick with my one Chiefs helmet 🙂

NEW Green Bay Packers Riddell Mini Helmet of Players NOS

Helmets not manufactured by Riddell

Another type of helmet is, of course, the classic gumball collectable helmet. However, Riddell does not manufacture gumball helmets. These came in a variety of types.

There’s also a helmet I see a lot of called the “Mighty Mini.” These helmets look a lot like pocket helmets, but are more squat and have the team name on the front (Pocket helmets are usually blank or have the Riddell logo on the front). I speculate these were made in the late 90s through the mid 2000s. I have no idea who manufactured them, however. Maybe it was Riddell?

NFL Plastic MIGHTY Mini Helmets Lot Of 9 - San Francisco, Buffalo, Kansas City.. - Picture 1 of 8

Patriots 1982-1990 Pocket Helmet Drop

Riddell dropped the Patriots throwback today. For a little context, there are basically four iterations of this helmet.

1961-63: White helmet, Pat Patriot logo, red-white-red stripes, grey facemask. Riddell manufactured a factory helmet for the Throwback Series 2 and AFL 50th anniversary sets.
1964-92: White helmet, Pat Patriot logo, red-white-blue-white-red stripes. The only change made in 1964 was the addition of the middle blue stripe. This helmet had a grey facemask (1964-81), white facemask (1982-90), and red facemask (1991-92).

The 1964-81 factory pocket helmet is available as a two-bar and traditional style factory helmet. The 1991-92 factory pocket helmet is available in the traditional style (as part of a 4-piece team set).

So, what makes this drop unique is that it is the first factory helmet for this style. Very cool.

To my knowledge, 8 teams are wearing throwbacks this year. Riddell had manufactured a speed helmet for 5 of them. The other teams are the 49ers, Jaguars, and Jets. None of these teams have a speed helmet for the throwback. The 49ers is in the traditional style, Jaguars in the 2-bar, traditional, and revolution styles, and Jets in the 2-bar style.

Atlanta Falcons Pocket Helmet Drop

Riddell announced the drop of the Falcons 1966-69 throwback pocket helmet. It’s part of their 2024 limited edition series.

This should be straight forward, right? Well, kind of.

First, the pocket helmet is a 100% accurate depiction of the 1966-69 Falcons helmet: gold/white/black stripes, grey facemask, the feather has floating lines, and the arm and neck meet in a V-pattern.

Of course, the speed style helmet was not around in the 1960’s. The falcons wore it as a throwback in 2009 and 12. And again in 2022-23. The helmet is accurate save for one minor detail: the neckline. In 1966-69, the logo had a V-pattern. The throwback the Falcons have worn in the 20th century has a straight line between the head and arm. Look at the photo above and the photo below.

So, the pocket helmet is an accurate throwback in the speed style. The actual throwback helmet wore by the Falcons is not 100% accurate. This is a minor detail that may not matter to most collectors, if not all of them. Happy collecting!