The thrill of victory is often accompanied by receiving a piece of commemorative jewelry. From the World Series of Baseball to the Super Bowl of the National Football League, sports jewelry is coveted and very collectable. Rings and other jewelry awarded to professional athletes are rare commodities. Possessing a Super Bowl ring identifies the player as a member of a small fraternity of football athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their career.



The tradition of awarding rings to winning baseball teams really has its start in nineteen twenty two. By nineteen thirty one, all major league players who were members of a winning World Series team have received a ring. The tradition has continued ever since and the custom has spread include the professional sports of football and basketball.

The belt of a world champion boxer is a very item. Often adorned by gemstones and precious metals like gold and silver, very few of these prizes are available, even to collectors. The gems and gold may not have much value in and of themselves. Assembled into the belt of a champion and the value grows significantly.

Championship rings are often very audacious and quite large in size, certainly a reflection of the effort required to attain one. Again, the gemstones and precious metals used to make these rings have a value. The design and artisanship that goes into these one of a kind jewelry pieces makes them valuable far beyond the gems and metal.

Throughout sports history, no award is more coveted than an Olympic Medal. Medals of gold, silver and bronze are awarded to Olympians whose performance exceeded that of their peers. The modern gold medal is made from solid silver and plated with a quarter ounce of pure gold. Notable gold medal winners from the modern day Olympic Games include Muhammad Ali, Shaquille ONeal, Sheryl Swopes and former United States Senator Bill Bradley.

The awarding of trophies and cups has been a tradition is all manner of sporting competitions has as storied past. Sterling silver and silver plate was often used. The design of the cup or trophy was unique to the sport or to the specific competition. Modern cup trophies that many people are familiar with include the winners trophy at the Indianapolis 500 motor race and the Stanley Cup. The Cup is awarded to the championship team from the National Hockey League. The Indy 500 trophy is adorned with facial figures of the winning drivers and, like The Cup, is completely unique.

Collectors of sports memorabilia place a very high value on sports jewelry. A genuine World Series Championship ring can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. The value placed on these one of a kind items of sports jewelry is greatly influenced by who owned the ring. It is rumored that slugger Jose Canseco sold one of his World Series rings for forty thousand dollars.

The popularity of high stakes poker has spurred interest in a new type of sports jewelry award. The World Series of Poker bracelet is fast becoming the next big thing in collectable jewelry. Now few people would consider poker a sport, but well known players have legions of fans that closely follow professional poker.

Sports fans can find an almost endless variety of sports jewelry dedicated to their favorite team or athlete. Everything from rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces and more are available. As with the purchase of any type of jewelry, the buyer needs to be sure of the items value. There is a veritable world of fakes and knockoffs that can sometimes fool even the well informed buyer.