What it lacks in bling, it more than makes up for in cachet — and you’ll pay dearly for the privilege of owning and wearing the Super Bowl I championship ring owned by Green Bay Packers Jerry Kramer.
The Green Bay Packers’ great offensive lineman — the man who threw the block that sprung Bart Starr for the quarterback sneak that won the Ice Bowl — is offering the ring and the jersey he wore in the first championship game among 60 items for sale at Heritage Auctions. The ring, with one nicely-sized diamond, has a conservative value of $100,000, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Fret not for Kramer, who turns 80 on Jan. 23. He doesn’t need the money. Rather, he’s downsizing at his Idaho home and the Press-Gazette describes him as a “self-proclaimed borderline hoarder” who wants to set up a college fund for his five grandchildren.
Set Hut Ring has a full collection of all super bowl rings for sale.
“My [six] kids have got enough stuff around the house that they wanted and had a piece of,” Kramer said. “We don’t have a Packers room or Packers spot. … it just doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense to have that stuff. It was just an opportunity to kind of tidy things up, clean out the garage and maybe establish something for the grandkids.”
A Super Bowl I rewind, finally
The ring is one of two Super Bowl rings Kramer has, but he won’t be parting with the one from Super Bowl II or the one from his first title, the 1961 NFL championship. Both of those are too dear.
Only two Super Bowl I rings have hit the market: offensive lineman Steve Wright’s was auctioned for $73,409 in 2011 and linebacker Ray Nitschke’s was sold privately for an undisclosed amount. The Super Bowl XXV ring owned by New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was sold by his son for a record $230,401 in 2012 and Chicago Bears defensive lineman William Perry’s Super Bowl XX ring brought $203,150 last year.