Super Bowl Ring Mystery
April 23, 2006
By Art Swift
Jerry Kramer has been a champion lineman under Vince Lombardi, a successful businessman and family man. But something's been missing from his life for a long time -- a Super Bowl ring like this one.
"Twenty-five years ago I was traveling from Chicago to New York on a United Airlines flight," Jerry Kramer told KBCI CBS 2 News. "Went to the bathroom, washed my hands, soapy water, the ring slipped off, put it on the sink."
Kramer went back to his seat, sat back down and realized after a minute that he left his ring in the bathroom. And when he went back to retrieve it...
"The ring was gone," Kramer said. "Captain gets on the PA system, pleads with whoever picked it up to give it back, the stewardess goes up and down telling people. Nobody comes forth with it."
He assumed that after ten or fifteen years he would never see the ring again, and he got a replacement from Jostens. Until a few weeks ago...
"I got a call from a guy up in Canada, Don, that's all I remember, and he said 'Jerry, have you got your Super Bowl I ring?' and immediately the antenna went up," Kramer added.
The man told Kramer that an auction house in Chicago, Mastro Auctions, had put his ring up for bidding.
The bidding started at $5,000 and went up to $20,000 with 8 hours to go. Kramer informed Mastro about what happened, and they yanked the ring from auction.
Kramer says he is working with the Attorney General of Illinois to recover the ring, and expects it back within days. He's curious where it's been since the disappearance on the plane.
"On my website I ask people if they've seen the ring or know anything about the ring or been offered the ring for sale or anything over the last 25 years," said Kramer. "Because it is kind of intriguing to wonder where it has been or what it's been doing for 25 years."
Kramer says he probably won't pursue legal damages if he can find out who took the ring, and he just wants it back on his finger.
"I was angry, I felt violated," Kramer said. "I was angry for quite a while about it, and now I would just like to have it back. It's kind of like one of the kids been gone a long time and needs to come home now."
April 23, 2006
By Art Swift
Jerry Kramer has been a champion lineman under Vince Lombardi, a successful businessman and family man. But something's been missing from his life for a long time -- a Super Bowl ring like this one.
"Twenty-five years ago I was traveling from Chicago to New York on a United Airlines flight," Jerry Kramer told KBCI CBS 2 News. "Went to the bathroom, washed my hands, soapy water, the ring slipped off, put it on the sink."
Kramer went back to his seat, sat back down and realized after a minute that he left his ring in the bathroom. And when he went back to retrieve it...
"The ring was gone," Kramer said. "Captain gets on the PA system, pleads with whoever picked it up to give it back, the stewardess goes up and down telling people. Nobody comes forth with it."
He assumed that after ten or fifteen years he would never see the ring again, and he got a replacement from Jostens. Until a few weeks ago...
"I got a call from a guy up in Canada, Don, that's all I remember, and he said 'Jerry, have you got your Super Bowl I ring?' and immediately the antenna went up," Kramer added.
The man told Kramer that an auction house in Chicago, Mastro Auctions, had put his ring up for bidding.
The bidding started at $5,000 and went up to $20,000 with 8 hours to go. Kramer informed Mastro about what happened, and they yanked the ring from auction.
Kramer says he is working with the Attorney General of Illinois to recover the ring, and expects it back within days. He's curious where it's been since the disappearance on the plane.
"On my website I ask people if they've seen the ring or know anything about the ring or been offered the ring for sale or anything over the last 25 years," said Kramer. "Because it is kind of intriguing to wonder where it has been or what it's been doing for 25 years."
Kramer says he probably won't pursue legal damages if he can find out who took the ring, and he just wants it back on his finger.
"I was angry, I felt violated," Kramer said. "I was angry for quite a while about it, and now I would just like to have it back. It's kind of like one of the kids been gone a long time and needs to come home now."
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