As he neared retirement the first time, at the end of the 2006 season, seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher summed up his decision this way: “Might as well leave while I’m still at the top level.”

He changed his mind, of course, as so many other top athletes do after they’ve stepped away from the sport they mastered.

After a three-year absence, Schumacher, who won five of his titles with Ferrari in consecutive years, emerged from retirement to drive again from 2010 through 2012, this time for the Mercedes team.

This officially licensed hat has been hand-signed by Schumacher on the peak in black marker.