As the world gears up for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, waiting to see if Patrick Mahomes can lead the Chiefs to his fourth Super Bowl victory (or if the Eagles can dethrone the reigning champions), cllct takes a look back at some of the most intriguing pieces of Super Bowl memorabilia to ever sell at auction.
1. Super Bowl LVIII game-used flip coin
The “flip coin” used in Super Bowl LVII between the Chiefs and the 49ers ahead of overtime sold last year for $26,300 at NFL Auctions.
While the 49ers won the toss and received the ball first in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history, scoring a field goal, the Chiefs ultimately returned fire with a touchdown to win the game.
2. William "Refrigerator" Perry 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl XX championship ring
The largest Super Bowl ring ever produced, given to William “Refrigerator” Perry for Super Bowl XX in 1985 after the famed Mike Ditka-led Bears routed the Patriots 46-10, sold for $203,150 in July 2015.
Heritage Auctions estimated the ring’s size at 25, though said in its lot description “no measuring tool large enough to confirm this figure exists.”
3. 1967-2018 Super Bowl full ticket run
An unbelievable time capsule of Super Bowl history, beginning with the first game in 1967 between Green Bay and Kansas City, a full ticket from every Super Bowl from 1967-2018 sold for $168,000 in August 2018.
4. Bill Belichick game-worn Super Bowl XXXVI Motorola headset
Perhaps one of the greatest oddball pieces of memorabilia to hit the market in Super Bowl history, Bill Belichick’s Motorola headset used during the first Super Bowl of the Patriots dynasty sold for $10,200 in 2018.
A letter of provenance accompanying the lot, which was sold at Heritage, says it was obtained by the consignor in the aftermath of the victory.
Tasked with directing the assembly of the stage for the presentation of the Lombardi Trophy, the consignor reportedly “brushed up against Belichick” and said, “Excuse me, coach.” The notoriously-grumpy Belichick replied with an expletive and tossed his headset aside, which the consignor recovered from the ground and kept for more than 15 years,
5. Eli Manning game-used Super Bowl XLII helmet
Eli Manning’s game-used helmet, which he wore in Super Bowl XLII while leading the Giants over the then-undefeated Patriots in one of the most stunning upsets in NFL history, has had a complex journey.
The center of a memorabilia fraud lawsuit settlement in 2018, the helmet has already been sold twice (for more than $80,000 in 2018 at Goldin and then for $54,000 in 2019 at Heritage), and now returns to the auction block this month at Goldin.
6. Joe Montana game-used Super Bowl XIX, Super Bowl XXIII jersey
Joe Montana wore the same jersey for Super Bowl XIX, where he defeated Dan Marino and the Dolphins, as well as four years later when he led San Francisco to victory with a last-minute drive in Super Bowl XXIII.
Why?
The morning of Super Bowl XXIII, Montana’s wife took the jersey out of a scrapbook, placed it in a bag he was bringing to the game along with a note: “Maybe you want to wear it again.”
He did, of course, and the twice-winning Super Bowl jersey sold at Goldin in 2023 for $1.21 million
7. Tom Brady Sports Illustrated Super Bowl Champions magazine
A 2002 Sports Illustrated Presents Super Bowl Champions magazine, featuring Tom Brady after his first Super Bowl win, graded CGC 9.8 with none higher, sold for $13,800 in March 2022.
Another CGC 9.8 copy of the magazine, which was released 10 days after the Super Bowl, sold for less than $4,500 in 2023, possibly due to an influx of copies graded by the company, which now counts 25 CGC 9.8 examples.
8. Joe Namath 1969 road jersey
A road jersey worn by Joe Namath during the 1969 season, which culminated in the legendary victory making good on “Broadway” Joe’s debut, sold for $19,103 in 2014.
Though the jersey is not matched to the Super Bowl, MEARS says its research indicates it is the only road jersey that can be attributed to that season (and Namath wore a road jersey in Super Bowl III).
9. Lawrence Taylor game-used Super Bowl XXV cleats
Lawrence Taylor’s cleats from Super Bowl XXV, in which his New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills, sold for $10,278 in 2015.
After the game, Taylor apparently told his teammate Gary Reasons, "I guess I won’t be needing these for a while" and left them in front of his locker. Reasons put them in his bag and kept them for 25 years before selling them at auction.
10. James Harrison game-used and autographed Super Bowl XLIII Helmet
The helmet worn by James Harrison when he made the “Immaculate Interception” in Super Bowl XLIII, picking off a pass from Kurt Warner at the end of the first half and running it back for a 100-yard touchdown (at the time the longest play in Super Bowl history), sold for $53,775 in 2012 at Heritage.
Harrison said, "I talked to Kurt, he said he never even saw me,” according to NFL.com. The play gave the Steelers a 17-7 lead going into the half and the team would ultimately win 27-23.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.