Thursday, February 24, 2011

One Ring to Rule Them All - 1996 (Super Bowl XXXI)

After winning the first two Super Bowls, the Packers struggled for nearly thirty years before finally fighting their way back to the top of the mountain and bringing Green Bay its twelfth world championship.

Of course, champions deserve a ring to wear, and Jostens came through with a doozy, with 93 diamonds arranged across the top and highlighting Dad Braisher's famous "G" logo:

(Legendary Auctions)

The rings are crafted out of 10-karat yellow gold, with an 18-karat gold "G" crest on the top.

(Legendary Auctions)

The shanks are simpler than the rings worn by the Packers' Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II teams.

(Legendary Auctions)

This ring is the players' version. A different design was created for the Packers' staff, and a third design was offered to shareholders.

This particular ring was given to linebacker Ron Cox, who played one year in Green Bay in between two stints with the Bears. It was sold by Legendary Auctions in December of 2007 for $19,467.60, and was put on eBay a few months later with a "Buy It Now" price of $49,999.99. Although the eBay seller had tried to obscure his name in photos, harp-eyed bloggers noticed the "X" underneath the black bar and identified it as Cox's. The ring failed to sell at the outrageous asking price, and 28 "Best Offer" bids were all declined.

A Super Bowl ring is a powerful symbol. In recent years, former Packer coach Mike Holmgren wears his ring to press conferences in Cleveland, as he seeks to inspire his Browns toward greatness.

(AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

Hard to argue football with a man wearing one of those on his finger.

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