A Super Bowl ring awarded to a Miami Dolphins player after the 1973 championship season proved to be a valuable piece of memorabilia, selling for $68,040.
The ring, bearing the name and inscription of former defensive tackle Bob Heinz was sold to an unidentified bidder Friday during an auction conducted by Goldin Auctions at the National Sports Collector’s Convention in Rosemont, Ill.
The ring was among more than $3 million in sports memorabilia sold in the auction, including a 1952 Mickey Mantle Topps rookie card that sold for $400,950 and a Michael Jordan 1998-78 Chicago Bulls jersey that went for $104,490.
The Dolphins ring was believed to be the first players ring from either the 1972 or ’73 championship teams offered publicly for sale.
Heinz started for the Dolphins in both Super Bowls. The ring was consigned to the auction by an investor who purchased it earlier this year from Heinz in a private sale, according to Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions.
The sale price topped the $50,820 a Baltimore Ravens fan paid earlier this year for a ring from the 2012 Super Bowl title awarded to former running back Jamal Lewis as a member of the team’s Ring of Honor. Lewis played on the Ravens 2000 championship team.
Another item associated with a South Florida athlete was Ichiro Suzuki’s 2001 Gold Glove Award from his rookie season with the Seattle Mariners, which sold for $40,095. Although the item was a duplicate presented to a marketing representative, it was valuable because none of Ichiro’s awards have been offered for sale before, Goldin said.
A corresponding auction at GoldinAuctions.com with 1,200 additional sports items continues until Aug. 8, including former Marlin Andre Dawson’s 1987 MVP Award, which has a current bid of $92,000.
