Legendary TT racer’s helmet up for auction

A 1960s ‘pudding basin’ helmet, worn by legendary racer Mike Hailwood in numerous Isle of Man TTs and circuit races, is expected to achieve in excess of £4,000 at Silverstone Auction’s MotoGP event on 11 June. Offered with all its scratches and dents, including a mighty scrape with the annotation ‘Brands Hatch 1963’, the multiple-worn hand-painted helmet from nearly ten years of Hailwood’s extraordinary career, is a piece of ‘bike-racing history.

“This helmet has a thousand tales to tell,” says Silverstone Auctions automobilia expert Guy Loveridge. “Hailwood was a remarkable racer, both in ‘bikes as well as moving successfully to Formula One and sports cars and, of course, sadly he’s passed away. Items like this at auction command significant interest.”

However, for collectors of sporting memorabilia, it may surprise that a hero’s signature isn’t always enough to ensure the highest prices. What’s important, says Guy Loveridge, is the history of that particular item.

“A football shirt signed by Diego Maradona is desirable, but if it’s the 1986 shirt Maradona wore in the ‘Hand of God’ World Cup tie, it adds tens of thousands to the value,” says Loveridge. I know of an England team player, Steve Hodge, who swapped shirts with Maradona post match and has turned down £150k for it.”

Motorsport memorabilia values can vary significantly too, depending on the race provenance.

“There are many factors in valuing motorsport memorabilia,” says Guy Loveridge. “For example, it’s not just the fact that a helmet has been signed by a Formula One hero, but it’s the battle history of that item. So, if a lesser-known F1 driver won a race in a particular helmet, it’s potentially worth more than an off-the-shelf replica ‘lid’ with a Michael Schumacher signature.

“It also depends on the driver’s or rider’s success in particular arenas,” continues Guy Loveridge. “For example, Allan McNish is best known as a champion Le Mans-winning sports car driver. A campaigned, podium-photographed Le Mans helmet has a much greater market value than a helmet from McNish’s fairly lacklustre Formula One season.

“Drivers who have donated memorabilia more prolifically such as Eddie Irvine, won’t command auction returns in the same way as Jenson Button: apart from the fact that Button is current and a world champion, he doesn’t give away helmets or other items very often.

“In the ‘bike racing world, a James Toseland-signed helmet could be worth under £200: if it was race-worn, we could more than treble that value.  Valentino Rossi is a good example of little-found memorabilia. He rarely lets go of anything! Coupled with his extraordinary champion’s pedigree, it could command top rates at an auction, especially where there’s a strong enthusiast audience such as at Silverstone Auctions’ MotoGP sale on 11 June.”

A Max Biaggi-worn helmet, from his 1997 250 cc world championship season is a highly desirable ‘lid’ featuring in Silverstone Auctions MotoGP sale. Carrying both Marlboro and Giannelli branding, it also features the three rings device: the ‘3-2-1’ showing he had won three titles to date, and has an estimated value of £600 to £800.

“There are other important factors that contribute to the desirability of an item,” concludes Guy Loveridge. “Sports people notably spend significant time away from their home countries, and particularly in tax havens, meaning their collectable items travel with them. Add to that their passing on, and especially a ‘death in action’ legacy, and all these factors affect values. A helmet from the only posthumous F1 champion Jochen Rindt would be highly desirable, to an international market too, as there are so few items around. James Hunt items are very much in demand too at the moment.

“That said, if I could choose from an Ayrton Senna or Lewis Hamilton race-worn, signed helmet, I’d bid for the Hamilton ‘lid’: he’s current, successful and there’s an incredible following from a world-wide audience: Senna has always had appeal, but Lewis Hamilton merchandise is ‘of the moment’ and extremely sought after, especially by a fanbase that has disposable income. That counts!”

Visit silverstoneauctions.com for further information.