Albatrossone wrote:
What was the main reason for thInking it wasn't original? If its been filled, sanded and given a completely new paint job couldn't there be any thing under there?
Simple answer is that if the dome is ROTJ how could it be a production ESB dome?
But let's have a more in depth answer based on comparisons I did when the Christie's helmet appeared. All images below referring to Christie's helmet or "Zine" refer to the same one in this PIH auction (they are the same helmet).
Teeth gaps are significantly wider on the PIH mask than an original ESB or an ESB promo mask (20th Century ESB):
The PIH casting is far too thick to be an original ESB:
The tooth depth on the PIH mask match those of the MOM ROTJ mask. So it is a ROTJ mask, not ESB.
If you were to look at the inside of an authentic NJ Farmer helmet, it has a white painted number, not a pink painted letter as in the PIH helmet. Furthermore, the pink painted letter is the same as a known tour helmet also in ownership at the time by Zine. There would be no reason to falsify an ID letter if it was an original helmet.
The mask in the auction has a mounting ring added that is not original, not production. It also has added undercut in the rear, and why is that? Because if it was something like a promo mask (just using the VP ANH as an example), there would be less undercut than an original ESB, so someone added undercut and the boundary of that undercut matches the boundary of the rear of a promo mask as seen in the 50% overlay. There is also absolutely no detail between the tusk tubes and that is indicative of a later casting, not from the production.
The PIH helmet itself (the dome), is ROTJ as clearly shown by the center ridge shape and merging of the center ridge with the widow's peak as seen below in comparisons of original ROTJ, ESB and the PIH (Christie's) helmet front widow's peak area:
Knowing what an authentic NJ Farmer mask looks like, we can see below in this comparison that the tusk tubes on the PIH mask are thinner at the convergence point like a later promo casting, and unlike the thicker tusk tube end seen on the original Paul Allen ESB stunt mask. Looking at the left side of the mouth triangle near the tusk tube, we see on the PIH mask curvature on the front edge, just like the later promo mask. Instead, that area shows up on both an original ESB stunt mask and an authentic ESB-based NJ Farmer mask as being straight. Then, also, if we look at the right side of the nose bridge on the PIH mask, it is thicker and straighter on its front and rear edges. In contast, on an original ESB stunt mask or an authentic NJ Farmer mask, or even on a later promo mask, the front edge has a pronounced curvature, the rear edge is straight and the entire nosebridge side is thinner. So this cannot be a Farmer mask from the time of ESB.
I could go on but you get the general idea. I would be even that upon measuring this mask, that it is nowhere near the size of an original ESB mask and that fact alone would discount the claim of its origin.
It looks nothing like an original ESB helmet. In fact, it is ROTJ. And it also has nothing in common with a known authentic helmet from NJ Farmer.