Paul Letlow's Unique Dukes of Hazzard Items

One thing I love about running this blog is the interaction I get to have with fellow Dukes fans and collectors.  Before the blog, I only interacted with a small group of fans, but these days I meet new people every day.  I've met many collectors who love showing off their Dukes items as much as I do.  I love letting fellow fans write about their collections and featuring them here.  

I first started talking to collector Paul Letlow after the Kickstarter concerts.  He attended the Lousiania concert and sent me some info on it.  Paul collects all kinds of "stuff," including sports memorabilia and Dukes of Hazzard items. He lives in Louisiana. Take it away Paul.  

"As a sports memorabilia collector and a Dukes of Hazzard collector, I wanted to create a custom item that blended the two interests.

My sports stockpile includes a number of autographed football mini helmets, so I decided to make my own “General Lee” edition.

I purchased everything I’d need on eBay, starting with a blank orange helmet shell. These are usually priced around 10-15 bucks.  I found a sheet of 1:10 scale decals ($7) that worked perfectly, and I already owned a spare black facemask to give me what I’d use to complete the project.

Before the decals arrived though, I had the chance to attend a Dukes of Hazzard event in Livingston, La. There I was able to get autographs on the helmet from both John Schneider and Tom Wopat. Schneider got into the spirit of things too, signing his name along with the inscription “Bo - 1,” like a sports figure would add his jersey number. Both were kind enough to sign along the top ridge of the helmet, so affixing the decals was no problem once they came in about a week later.

I opted for the “01” on both sides and used the license plate decal and another small racing decal on the back. The flag decal fit perfectly on the front “bumper.” I considered using a gray facemask, but think black works better. The only change I might make is using a two-bar mask to give it more of a throwback look. Still, I was pleased with how it turned out.

 Keeping with the sports theme, my eclectic collection also includes an autographed baseball by the Boss himself, “Sorrell Booke.” Another eBay purchase, I can’t 100 percent vouch for its authenticity but it certainly appears legit based on other signatures I compared it to online.

 Finally, I was able to get my large Coleco General Lee pedal car signed by the boys when I attended their December Kickstarter concert in Livingston, La., at the John Schneider Studios property. When Wopat saw me carrying the car in, he laughed and said “Well ain’t that cute!” Both were happy to autograph it during the meet-and-greet part of the program.  

Thanks to Larry for his invitation to write a guest blog. As I told him in an e-mail, looking at his collection online is a lot cheaper than buying it all myself!"

Thanks Paul for sharing your very cool items.  I'm pretty certain that baseball is legit as well.  

Paul also sent this very cool picture of another fan's autograph collection he was looking through at the Louisiana event.  Would you look at that, I'm in the background on a John Schneider autographed picture!  I'd be glad to sign that picture as well!  Ha!  I'd love to find out who has the picture and get a copy.