A Super Bowl Championship, a place in History, and a GOLD Ring!
To the victor goes the spoils ... and along with the Baltimore Ravens riveting win in Super Bowl XLVII goes the Vince Lombardi trophy, an $88,000 bonus, the satisfaction of reaching the highest level of achievement in American football, and that coveted championship ring!
The NFL contributes $5,000 per recipient to cover the cost of the Super Bowl ring, which may have sufficed back in 1967 when the Green Packers won Super Bowl I, but don't count on it paying for the Raven's 2013 ring from Super Bowl XLVII.
Back on January 15, 1967 when Green Bay defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the first Super Bowl, their single diamond, victory ring was set in just under a half ounce of gold ... a modest prize by today's standards. Modern Super Bowl rings have soared in both cost and value! The dramatic rise can be attributed to the ornate style evolution through the decades as well as the astonishing rise in gold prices over the last 46 years. Back in 1967, the price of spot gold was just $35.50 oz ... compare that to gold's current price of almost $1675.00 oz!
The actual cost of manufacturing the prized rings is kept highly confidential, but the value assessment is fairly clear to anyone that has watched the value of precious metals. Coming from places like Jostens and Tiffany and Company, Super Bowl rings have been crafted in 10 karat, 18 karat and 24 karat yellow or white gold. The ring designs are as varied as the personalities of the teams that have won them with each ring featuring a custom combination of diamonds, gems, and enamel spelling out the team name, displaying the team logo, and citing the Super Bowl game designation in classic Roman numerals ... and all of it set in solid gold.
At auction Super Bowl rings have sold from mid -five figures all the way up to mid-six figures being driven by a variety of factors including the ring's rarity, age, the popularity of the player that won it, the details of the deciding game, and the elaborateness of the ring's design and setting. But the most consistent driving factor of value across all of years of Super Bowl Championship rings ... is their respective gold content. From Super Bowl I to Super Bowl XLVII gold has risen over 4600%!
So after all the video clips, post-game interviews, summary podcasts, game stat tallies, and victory parades have ended ... the winners of Super Bowl XLVII are left with their memories, their place in history, and the most celebrated ring in the world!
The Super Bowl Championship ring is a symbol of excellence, a prize of athletic distinction, and a mark of triumph in competition that can only be captured, housed, and held in solid gold. Gold has been the precious metal of victors and conquerors since the beginning of time and remains the most enduring store of value that the world has ever known.