Kramer's Super Bowl I ring sells for $125,475

Jerry Kramer’s Super Bowl I ring didn’t come close to setting a record for the most expensive Super Bowl ring to be auctioned, but it did still make history.

The former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman’s ring sold for $125,475 on Saturday night during Heritage Auctions’ Platinum Night auction in New York City.

It is believed to be the first Packers item to be auctioned for six figures, surpassing a Don Hutson game-used jersey that sold for $80,662.50 in 2011.

Kramer was far off the record paid for a Super Bowl ring, despite his popularity and the rarity of a Super Bowl I ring being sold.

Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl XXV ring was auctioned for a record $230,401 in 2012, while former Chicago Bears defensive lineman William Perry’s Super Bowl XX one went for $203,150 in 2015.

Only two Super Bowl I rings had previously been made available. Former offensive lineman Steve Wright’s was auctioned for $73,409 in 2011, while linebacker Ray Nitschke’s was sold privately for an unknown amount.

The ring was one of more than 50 items from Kramer that was auctioned. It included his game-used jersey from Super Bowl I that sold for $45,410.

Kramer was in attendance on Saturday to watch his items being bid on.

“It was really cool to have him there,” said Heritage consignment director Chris Nerat, who graduated from Marinette High School and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. “One thing that was really amazing was that there was a really big baseball collector that was there, one of our biggest bidders. We had Kramer speak for a couple minutes before his lot went up, and this guy who had never bid on a football piece in his life was so impressed with what Jerry said and his inspirational speech that he bid on a couple of the items.

“It tells you what kind of guy he is and what influence he has over people. People were very impressed with him.”

Kramer plans to establish an educational trust fund for his grandchildren with the auction proceeds, which were expected to be about $350,000 by the end of the weekend.

The five most notable items in the lot — the Super Bowl ring, the game-used Super Bowl jersey, a 1965 NFL Championship ring, a 1962 NFL Championship wristwatch and a mid-1960s game-used jersey — generated $265,290.

“We were very pleased with the results of the highlighted Kramer items as a whole,” Nerat said. “This is the highest price ever paid for a Green Bay Packers piece at auction, and we were extremely pleased with that result.”