Auction Gold: Super Bowl XLV Ring

Heritage Auctions is currently auctioning off a player ring from Super Bowl XLV, giving us our best look yet at this treasure.

Lot 80057. 2010 Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XLV Championship Player's Ring. This simply dazzling symbol of professional football's greatest achievement is the very first of its kind to reach the hobby's auction block since quarterback Aaron Rodgers posted an MVP performance in a thirty-one to twenty-five victory over a veteran Pittsburgh Steelers squad in Arlington, Texas to win Super Bowl XLV. The hefty jewel-encrusted platinum prize is far more than just a pretty face, however, each gemstone telling a story that dates back to the founding of the franchise by Curly Lambeau almost a century ago.

The ring's square crest is highlighted by the team "G" logo, incorporating the green and gold colors first introduced in 1935. In each corner is a marquis-cut diamond in appropriate football shape, representing the franchise's four Super Bowl victories (I, II, XXXI and XLV). The "G" shape is comprised of thirteen diamonds, one for each NFL title dating back to the first in 1929, with the ninety-two small diamonds blanketing the outskirts and continuing along each edge counting the years since the 1919 founding of American football's most decorated team. "World Champions" stands in raised lettering amidst the sea of shimmering gemstones.

The left shank reports the name and jersey number of recipient and consignor Jay Ross, whose letter of provenance will attend. A miniature Lambeau Field completes the design. Right shank simply announces "Packers" above the Super Bowl victor's trophy named for the team's iconic leader from 1959 through 1967. Interior band is stamped "Jostens [copyright] Plat" and engraved with the words "1 Mind/Goal/Purpose/Heart" and the results of each playoff game en route to glory.

Included is the original hinged cherry wood display box with engraved glass window announcing "2010 World Champions, Jay Ross."

Certainly the most physically impressive specimen we've ever encountered from the World Championship treasure chest of the four major sports, the ring tips the scales at a thunderous four ounces--a quarter of a pound! But the Green Bay Packers have every right to go a bit overboard. As the last surviving relic of the "leatherheads" age when sleepy little towns like Dayton, Duluth and Pottsville represented the beating heart of the professional gridiron, the Green Bay Packers have maintained an underdog charm even in the light of their many successes. There is not a team in professional sports more revered by the populace of its home city, and we expect those folks will be out in force when this ring gets its turn on the Platinum Night auction block. Size fifteen. Letter of Provenance from Jay Ross. Guide Value or Estimate: $40,000 - up.

Outstanding. This is the first time I've seen the presentation box.

Now you too can own your own authentic players' Super Bowl to wear with your shareholder, season ticket holder or fan ring—provided that you have at least $38,838.00 (for now) lying around, that is.

(photo credit: HA.com)

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UPDATE 8/3:  The final price for this beauty was $53,775.00, including Buyer's Premium. If you're interested in topping that, you can make an offer to the winner via HA's website.

Super Bowl Ring Ceremony Announced

Looks like the lockout hasn't stopped the Packers from moving forward with the championship ring design.

Today, the team announced details of the ring ceremony, including the date.

The Packers will receive their Super Bowl XLV championship rings on Thursday, June 16, at the Lambeau Field Atrium, the team announced on its website this afternoon.

The Packers received an exemption from the NFL regarding the league's no-contact policy between players and management, should the NFL lockout still be in effect.

"We're looking forward to having an evening for the players, coaches and organization to recognize the victory in Super Bowl XLV," Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said.

"It was an extraordinary season and the players earned their rings in very exciting fashion. We’re going to celebrate all the hard work that went into the championship. We’re excited for the evening."

It will mark the first time team members have gathered together since the welcome celebration at Lambeau Field on Feb. 8, two days after the Super Bowl.

No word yet on the design, but we'll stay tuned.

Mike Vandermause notes, in his Press-Gazette column, that the Packers will be inviting all players from the 2010 team, including those who have since left the organization. This is a change from the 1997 policy, in which notable free agents such as Chris Jacke, Andre Rison and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard weren't invited to the traditional championship celebration at the White House and weren't on the original list to attend the ring ceremony at Oneida Golf and Country Club.

A very classy move from the Packers this time around. Looks like they've learned from the Super Bowl team photo debacle.

It's Jostens for Super Bowl XLV

Although the Packers are waiting until the end of the lockout to finalize the design, they have announced that they're partnering with Jostens to create their Super Bowl XLV championship rings.

This shouldn't come as a surprise; Jostens has been involved with all three of the Packers' previous Super Bowl rings, as well as the rings for the team's World Championships in 1961 and 1965, as seen in this ad, published in a 1967 Packers game program:

Packerville, U.S.A.
 

All in all, Jostens has made rings for twenty-eight of the previous forty-four World Champions (losing their apostrophe somewhere along the line).

"What I liked about Jostens is they have a tremendous reputation in the industry. We have a history with them. They’ve done every ring in Packers history. Mike McCarthy, Ted Thompson and I felt the sample ring they provided was the best," (Packers President and CEO Mark) Murphy said.

Man, would I like to see those rejected samples.

There's especially good news in the press release for Packer fans interested in shareholder rings, starting with this quote from Tim Connolly, the Packers' vice president of sales and marketing:

"Jostens also impressed us with the ability to create special collections of commemorative jewelry. There will be exclusive collections made for shareholders, season-ticket holders and a fan collection," Connolly said.

The fan collection will be sold solely by the Packers Pro Shop and will be available by mid-summer.

Although the design hasn't been finalized, and won't be unveiled until a special ceremony later this year, we are given small hints as to what to expect.

"It just felt right," Connolly said of joining with Jostens on the project. "There was a sense that the ring should have some continuity and connection to our past rings. You look at the 1996 ring and you see elements of that in this ring."

Can't wait.


(h/t: Pat Bouche)

Eat Your Wheaties, 2010 Edition

General Mills has unveiled its Super Bowl XLV commemorative boxes. Since 1934, the Wheaties box has celebrated the most notable athletes of the day. This year, there are two. Aaron Rodgers graces the regular Wheaties cereal, and Clay Matthews is featured on the new Wheaties FUEL.

These will be available only in the state of Wisconsin, starting in about a month's time. Those outside of the Badger State will have to resort to local connections or eBay. Or you could buy them directly from the Packers Pro Shop ($69.95 each, including display case).

The player choice is interesting. Matthews and Rodgers are linked as symbols of the Super Bowl-winning team. One representative of the offense, one of the defense, similar to the Favre/White dynamic of the 1990s team.

The picture of the two of them standing on the platform, wearing white t-shirts and surrounded by falling confetti, is one of the defining images of Super Bowl XLV. It has been reproduced on any number of commemorative volumes.

So remember, Wisconsinites: eat your Wheaties!

How Fitting

ESPN's NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert reports that the Packers had an unusual event the night before Super Bowl XLV:

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Green Bay Packers players reported to their team meeting Saturday evening prepared for some final words before turning in for their last night preceding Super Bowl XLV. They got a speech from Dr. Kevin Elko, a motivational guru, and then a surprise.

Coach Mike McCarthy had each player and coach fitted for a Super Bowl championship ring, a highly unusual move in a sport full of superstition and "one day at a time" mentality. It was the culmination of a late-season dose of Pittsburgh-style bravado McCarthy brought to the Packers over the past two months.

Outstanding. I do love his confidence at times. Except when he's deferring the opening kickoff - that drives me crazy.

And no, that's not the actual ring above. That's a fan ring, available from The Bradford Exchange , an upscale sports tchotchke manufacturer.

According to reports, the actual ring will be designed sometime in the next several weeks. The unveiling usually happens in June, we'll be watching for it.

Ring of Honor - the 2010 Super Bowl Rings

Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette

Here they are - the Packers' World Championship rings!

Jostens

Here's how the team describes them:

The ring’s square crest is highlighted by the ‘G’ logo – gold on a green setting, of course – but the overwhelming sparkle of the diamond-dominant presentation shouldn’t distract from all it incorporates.

In each of the four corners of the crest, surrounding the ‘G,’ is a marquis-cut diamond, which is appropriately football-shaped, just like the one on top of the Vince Lombardi trophy. There are four of those for I, II, XXXI and XLV, the four trophies that will reside together forever in the team’s Hall of Fame.

The shape of the ‘G’ itself consists of 13 diamonds, one for each title dating back to 1929, and surrounding the entire crown are 92 diamonds, one for each year the Packers have been in existence.

That’s a lot cleverly depicted on the ring’s face, but that’s not the whole story. The sides, or flanks, of the ring continue the convergence of history with the present.

On the one side that’s personalized for each player with his last name, there’s both an impressively carved image of Lambeau Field – a tribute to the best venue and fans in the NFL – and the player’s jersey number. Each number is circled, just like those on the third jerseys introduced this past year that represent the attire of the first title team in ’29.

On the other side, underneath a logo-lettering of “PACKERS,” is a Lombardi Trophy, with the name of the iconic coach, the NFL shield, and an ‘XLV’ at the base, which captures both the specific game and a piece of its logo.

Together, the primary images on the two flanks can be interpreted as the Lombardi Trophy being brought back to its home, Lambeau Field, which was done two days after the Super Bowl victory in North Texas in front of more than 56,000 fans who braved sub-zero weather to share in the glory.

The inside of the ring is also engraved. On one side is a tribute to Charles Woodson's "One Thing" postgame speech following the win over the Bears in the NFC Championship game.

The other side shows the path the Packers took through the playoffs.

Jostens

To my knowledge, this is the first time that the interior was used as a design element instead of just for personalization. I really like both of these.

Although I may have a few quibbles with the design — Platinum? For a green and gold team? — on the whole, I think this is about the best bling will get.

Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette

I love the inclusion of Lambeau Field on the shank. I had been hoping that they would include this since I saw a similar treatment on the 1965 ring.

Jostens

The circled numbers are also a nice touch. Good to see that the Packers continue to remember and honor their pre-1966 history.

Outstanding. A worthy addition to the trophy case.

One Ring to Rule Them All - 1996 (Super Bowl XXXI), Part 3

(Hunt Auctions)

This beauty is unique - a Super Bowl XXXI commemorative shareholders' ring.

Makes sense - we're the owners, right? Bob Kraft got one following the Patriots' Super Bowls, the Rooneys have fistfuls from theirs. Makes sense that Packers shareholders get in on the action.

I have to admit that I'd never heard of these before, but I wasn't a shareholder back in January of 2007.

(Touchdown Treasures)

This ring has a green glass stone with the famous "G" logo inlaid in gold. This particular exemplar is a woman's ring—I don't know if the men's version had a similar face.

The shanks are identical to the staff ring, with "STOCKHOLDER" in place of "DIRECTOR".

(Touchdown Treasures)

(Touchdown Treasures)

(Touchdown Treasures)

I've seen two of these (or maybe only one, in two separate auctions): one was sold earlier this month for $1,800 and the other was up for auction last November, but failed to draw its $1,100.00 minimum bid.

Can any pre-1997 shareholders out there help me out? I'd love to know how were these offered, how much they cost, and what the men's version looked like.

Here, then, we can compare all three Super Bowl XXXI rings - players', directors', and shareholders'.

I don't know if the Packers are intending to offer a Super Bowl XLV shareholder ring, but there is a Green Bay Packers Shareholders group on Facebook advocating just that. Could be done easily enough, taking orders on the shareholders' page of the Packers Pro Shop. If you're interested, sign up with them and let the team know.

2010 Fan Rings

We've looked at the Super Bowl XLV player rings and shareholder rings, today we're going to take a look at the rings available to all fans.

The Packers are currently offering three options for men; the "Super Fan Ring", "Deluxe Fan Ring" and "Ultimate Fan Ring".

Super Fan Ring

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The "Super Fan Ring" is the simplest and lowest-price of the three. No stones other than the green one behind the "G" logo.

The bezel is simple and bold.

The right shank features a customizable name over Lambeau Field. This is a different view of Lambeau Field than that on the players' ring, more of a profile.

The left shank displays the Super Bowl logo under an arched "TITLETOWN".

The Super Fan Ring starts at $249 for White Lustrium and goes to $1699 for 10k White Gold.

Deluxe Fan Ring

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The next level up is called the "Deluxe Fan Ring."

The bezel is similar to the Super Fan Ring's, except with thirteen stones on the "G" (one for each World Championship) and two to each side, replacing the year.

Four stones for four Super Bowl victories?

The right shank is identical to that of the Super Fan Ring.

The left shank has the Super Bowl logo and the year.

The Deluxe Fan Ring is $299 for White Lustrium and cubic zirconia, topping out at $1999 for 10k white gold and diamonds.

Ultimate Fan Ring

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The final of our three fan rings for men is the "Ultimate Fan Ring". It retains the same basic format as the other two, with the addition of more stones.

I get that the four stones are for the four Super Bowl wins, but if there's a meaning behind the other number it escapes me. Six above, six below. Twelve stones for the twelve titles before this one? Doesn't make much sense. Must be simply decorative.

The right shank is once again identical to the other two rings.

The left shank displays, once again, the Super Bowl logo and Lombardi Trophy under a straight "TITLETOWN" banner, surrounded by four stones.

As strange as the concept may seem, this one's officially overkill. We already have the four stones/four titles referenced on this ring. Jostens didn't seem to mind blank space on the shank on the other rings, why add them now? Perhaps they felt a need to "bling up" this one, to make it truly "Ultimate."

Pricing on the Ultimate Fan Ring begins at $299 and goes up to $1999.

I wonder how long these rings will be available for purchase. The Packers will be reigning World Champs for the next seven months; would Jostens keep them around as long as Christmas?

Ring photo credit: Jostens

Romans Go Home

The NFL has released the logo for Super Bowl 50, and that's what they're calling it.

So no "Super Bowl L" for us.

Of course, no logo release would be complete without a hefty dose of brandspeak, and the NFL is certainly not immune.

While continuing to feature the Vince Lombardi Trophy as the centerpiece of the Super Bowl logo, the use of “50” makes a bold statement about the Super Bowl and the historic 50th game. The gold “50” aligns with the preeminence of the Super Bowl, the silver trophy, and reflects the host region's historic Gold Rush in the broader setting of the Golden State.

That's known as the "National Version" of the logo; there's also a "Regional Version" incorporating not only the host stadium but several local landmarks:

The logo design builds on the permanent Super Bowl identity established in 2011 for Super Bowl XLV that positions the Lombardi Trophy with the host stadium. The Super Bowl 50 regional logo features the Lombardi Trophy in front of Levi's Stadium, the new home of the San Francisco 49ers. Reflected in the gold 50 are some of the iconic landmarks of the San Francisco Bay Area ghosted by the fog.

We are told that the Roman numerals will return for Super Bowl 51 — er, make that "Super Bowl LI" — in Houston. Until then, Romans go home!

1965 World Championship Ring (Yellow Gold)

Earlier this year, we took a look at a 1965 World Championship ring in 10K white gold, sold at auction by Sotheby's.

Heritage Auctions now offers us a look at the same ring in the yellow gold, with this exemplar up for auction:

Heritage Auctions

1965 NFL Championship Green Bay Packers "Jostens" Ring.    Vince Lombardi's third NFL Championship as Green Bay Packers head coach was a memorable one. After failing to make it to the big game in the previous two seasons, the Hall of Fame head coach committed to the play that he basically perfected over the years, the Packers sweep. His team would stay dedicated to its hard-nosed rushing attack in the 1965 NFL Championship Game versus the Cleveland Browns, which would be league's first championship contest televised in color, and would later be recognized as Jim Brown's final game. Offered here is an absolutely sparkling 1965 championship ring, which represents Packers board member L. J. Kelly's contribution to that memorable team. The presented ring is an original Josten's replacement ring, which was issued to Kelly's family in 1994 after his original was misplaced. Copies of the Josten's paperwork, stating what the replacement cost would be, in addition to a copy of the invoice for the replacement are included. The "[size] 9 1/2" ring, consisting of 10k white gold, a green Tourmaline base stone and .50 ct round brilliant cut diamond in the center, was made to nearly the exact specifications as the original. "Kelly" is stamped on its left shank and the championship contest score on the right. This fabulous piece of Packers history exhibits Mint quality and is a rare chance to obtain a former team member's prized jewelry. Guide Value or Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000.

Heritage Auctions

I am grateful, as always, to Heritage for their fantastic auction photos. They are an invaluable help in chronicling the Packers' history.

Heritage Auctions

Here's that view of Lambeau Field again:

Heritage Auctions

It's my favorite design element on this ring, and I'm very glad that the Packers repeated it for their Super Bowl XLV rings.

The auction description reads "10k white gold", but the photos appear to indicate otherwise.

Heritage Auctions

Although the style appears to be identical to the original rings, as a replacement this can't tell us about the metals offered at the time.

I wonder if any yellow gold rings were issued in 1966? We'll have to see if any others appear in the public eye.

Of Course Fonzie's a Packer Backer

Slow week here, and we just can't let go of Super Bowl XLV. So once again, we look back to that glorious evening last month.

Out of a fairly lackluster field, this was my favorite Super Bowl commercials:



I love that the Bears got saddled with Urkel.

And Richie Cunningham, rocking the retro gear. And somehow, The Fonz can make even a foam finger look cool.

Somebody add one of those to the hideous Techicolor statue on the Riverwalk.

And, in case you were wondering what the footage originally looked like: