Vintage Pittsburgh Steelers RK4 helmet attributed to end Darrell "Pete" Brewster who played for the Steelers in 1959 and 1960.  Brewster of course played for the Cleveland Browns prior to coming over to the Steelers, starring in two Championship wins and was a favorite target of quarterback Otto Graham.   Brewster is one of the top 100 All-Time Cleveland Browns.

The helmet painted in the Steelers early yellow, along with the painted black stripe, hung in the Chiodos Tavern in Pittsburgh (Homestead) for many years until the tavern was torn down in 2005.  The owner of the helmet purchased it from an auction when the tavern closed.  Upon the purchase, he was approached by Chiodo who informed him that it was given to him by his friend Preston Carpenter who played for the Steelers from 1960-63.  It appears to hang from the ceiling of the Tavern in a picture of Chiodo inside the establishment.

The helmet has the usual nicotine staining of many years of tavern smoke.  Most has been cleaned off of the exterior and interior of the helmet but remains in the suspension and jaw pads.  The facemask is original to the helmet along with the original hardware securing the mask to the helmet.  The mask has yellow paint overspray on both sides of the mask at the attachment points, consistent with Steelers helmets from this period.  One jaw pad is damage with part of it missing as well as two loose snaps.  The suspension is marked with the "SPECIAL" identification from the Riddell factory indicating its XL size - also noted by the very desirable 1.5" center ridge and double rivets in the front and rear of the helmet.  The helmet is also marked on the stained suspension with two different #88's which was Brewster's number while with the Steelers.  The Steelers of course wore numbers on the sides of their helmets for some games each season from 1953 through 1962 and did not wear any helmet numbers for some games from those years - typically all preseason and some early season games.  The Riddell date code in the crown of the helmet indicates that the helmet was produced in 1958. 

Photos of Brewster with the Steelers are few and far between, but we did manage to find one below - wearing what appears to be the same "Special" XL helmet with the same facemask.  The helmet is all original and is rare as can be - the team as well as the rare Riddell model, of a Pro Bowl Champion player.  A terrific rare helmet with outstanding provenance, of a Champion, Pro Bowl  player, ready to display in your Steelers cave.  Includes LOA from Hunt Auctions.