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Originally Posted by yanks12025
Would the company need permission from the players to make others???? Just curious. Also the letter does state there's a differences between the real ones and these modern day ones.
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That's a great question and I have no idea. Had it been a championship ring I believe they would need permission from the team and league.
I have a pal who is very high up at the NFL and he has told me (he knows I love championship rings) how involved the NFL is and how restrictive they have become in having ring companies make 2nd rings and rings for friends. The companies have had to agree (I think he may have said they have to sign agreements) on the many restrictions.
Yes, these new rings are 10K and not 14K and don't have real diamonds, however, collectors can replace the fake diamonds with real diamonds and take advantage of non-educated collectors.
I know the leagues and ring companies don't care about ring collectors and many players would not care if they passed along a 2nd ring as their original ring, but these circumstances do hurt collectors.
A few years ago I was able to buy Tim Brown's Raiders AFC ring. I had a chance to buy his Heisman trophy ring and I didn't. Boy did I regret that blown chance, all because I did not know what a heisman trophy ring was and how rare they are (and now Tim is in the Pro football hof).
And what about the poor collector who paid $26,290 for Browns Heisman ring from Heritage in 2010? Think he's happy that there is an almost-exact copy floating around in the hobby?
Tim Brown is the official salesman sample on the AFC Raider ring, and I own it, so I hope someday, someone does not get one and slap on real diamonds and claim to have his original AFC championship ring (when they lost to the Bucs in Super Bowl XXXVII).
Thank goodness Herff Jones did not manufacture that ring!
At least I have paperwork from Tim that he sold the Raider ring that I own.