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Jamaican bobsled helmet from Calgary ’88 Olympics doesn’t sell at auction

Members of the Jamaican four-man bobsled team walk up the course after wiping out during a run at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Dec. 23, 1988. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Morris Lamont

A helmet from the Jamaican bobsled team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary wasn’t the hot commodity it was expected to be at a Boston auction.

The asking price of US$3,500 for the yellow headgear worn by Jamaican bobsled pilot Dudley Stokes during the team’s final qualifier wasn’t met.

The helmet worn by Jamaican bobsleigh pilot Dudley Stokes during the team’s final qualifier crash in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Credit: RR Auction

A pair of orange-and-pink ski goggles worn by Stokes during an earlier heat didn’t generate much interest either.

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Robert Livingston of RR Auction in Boston says the helmet was purchased at a lower price by a private collector in the United States after the auction closed last week.

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He said he was surprised that the helmet, which he called the “hidden gem” of the auction, didn’t attract more attention.

The story of the members of the Jamaican bobsled team, who had never experienced snow before, earned worldwide attention, and was later adapted by Walt Disney into the hit movie “Cool Runnings.”

WATCH: The story of the team’s journey to Calgary and video of the famous crash.

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