Controversial Eli Manning Super Bowl helmet to be sold at auction

A helmet that was worn by Eli Manning during the most important win of his career is set to be sold at auction, and it’s one that has been a source of great contention in the past.

According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, Manning’s game-worn helmet from Super Bowl XLII — the game where the Giants beat the New England Patriots to spoil their undefeated season — will be auctioned off by Goldin Auctions. The helmet is expected to surpass the record amount a game-worn helmet has ever sold for, which was the $126,500 a helmet worn by Rudy Ruettiger while he was at Notre Dame fetched last year.

A collector named Eric Inselberg bought the helmet from Giants equipment manager Joe Skiba, who was part of a memorabilia fraud case involving Manning that was settled back in May. Inselberg said that after he purchased the helmet he noticed that a helmet the Giants donated to a museum in New York and later lent to the Hall of Fame was being billed as Manning’s helmet from Super Bowl XLII.

Inselberg and two other Giants collectors sued Manning, the Giants’ equipment staff and Steiner Sports, which is a sports memorabilia company Manning was under contract with. The lawsuit was settled before it went to trial, and Manning has angrily denied that he was guilty of any wrongdoing.