Nobody wants Capt. America's helmet

What auction? The stars and stripes helmet worn by Peter Fonda character Wyatt in the 1969 movie was up for sale. Unlike the Captain America chopper itself, there were no doubts about authenticity this time. Yet the helmet not only didn't sell for the asking price of $25,000, it didn't even draw a single bid.

Though buying rare movie props is one of the least likely ways I'm personally inclined to spend my money, I was still surprised, a little. I'm not the only one. Others have put together detailed, rational arguments about how if other movie props, like Indiana Jones' hat, can sell for millions, then surely Captain America's helmet must be worth $25,000.

Rational arguments don't always explain the value of collectibles very well, however. It tends to be simpler with mass produced items. Like motorcycles. Think of the motorcycle you thought was the coolest, hottest thing when it first came out and you were 21 years old, with no hope of affording a new one. Ten years later, it was just a common used bike, worth a fraction of the original price. But 30 years later, it was less common, you were in your early 50s, maybe at the peak of your earning years. Might you be willing to pay a significant amount of money to relive a little of your youth? Quite possibly. But wait another 30 years and there are a lot fewer people around who have that emotional connection. Now, the only thing to prop up the price is rarity. It's just another old mass-produced item and likely worth less. That price trajectory applies to lots of items.

It's a little different when dealing with a one-of-a-kind iconic collectible, however. And that's why I say I'm a little surprised nobody wanted the helmet. But maybe the answer is in the article we posted five years ago on the 50th anniversary of "Easy Rider." It was written by Brett Walling, who is Vice President, Brand Marketing & Content at RevZilla's parent company, Comoto. A decade ago, he was playing a key role in expanding RevZilla's video production and making it more polished.

As Brett noted, "Easy Rider" was something new when it came out and it captured its moment in time. It was among the films he studied and had an impact on the direction of his professional life. It didn't hurt that such a low-budget production became a huge hit. It both rode the wave and added to the wave of motorcycle coolness, which Brett argues peaked in the 1970s. Now, we have YouTube clogged with motorcycle vloggers, and there's some great content for us to enjoy, but none of it can have the impact of an "Easy Rider" in 1969. And by the same token, the movie's time has passed. The same thing that made it a success — how it captured its moment — is the thing that makes it irrelevant today.

Enough so, it seems, that no one is willing to pay $25,000 to preserve even an authentic and recognizable piece of its iconography in amber.