Sports Memorabilia

Green Bay Packers Championship Group, ca. 1965

Appraisal: Green Bay Packers Championship Group, ca. 1965

Owner Interview: Green Bay Packers Championship Group

Appraisal: Green Bay Packers Championship Group, ca. 1965

Transcript

APPRAISER: You guys are the daughters of an NFL Hall-of-Famer, Henry Jordan.

GUEST 1: Yes.

GUEST 2: Right. Our dad died in 1977. And after he died, my mom split up the jewelry amongst us.

APPRAISER: And your father played defense.

GUEST 2: He was defensive tackle. And at the time, he was the smallest defensive tackle in the NFL. He has a lot of cards out there, and they all say something different, but he was maybe 6'2" on a good day. Very, very fast. He was known for his incredible speed.

APPRAISER: That's his thing, he was a...

GUEST 2: And very agile.

APPRAISER:: He was an agile defensive tackle. He could get to the quarterback. And at the time, sacks were... They didn't keep track of them.

GUEST 2: Right.

APPRAISER: So who knows?

GUEST 2: One of the other things he was known for, he did a lot of speaking engagements, and he was known for his wit. He was a very funny man. One of the famous things that he's known for saying is, "Lombardi treats us all the same-- like dogs." (laughs)

APPRAISER: And you brought some souvenirs that you've inherited from your dad. What do you have here?

GUEST 1: In 1961, the Green Bay Packers won a championship, and they received a ring. At the same time, the wives received a companion ring, which is this one right here. And in 1962, they won a championship, and they received a watch. That's not in this collection here. In 1965, they won again, and won this ring right here. And that was called the World Championship Ring. In 1966, they won again, and that was when they changed it to Super Bowl I. And that is this ring right here. They also won again the third year, 1967, for Super Bowl II. And so they had a three-peat. And people just forget, because this ring here is not called Super Bowl.

APPRAISER: So the Packers have a proud tradition of winning, is what you're trying to tell me.

GUEST 1: Yes.

APPRAISER: And not to be outdone, as you said, the 1961 wives' rings. They got their own ring, along with the players. And you've got the last NFL championship ring and the first Super Bowl ring.

GUEST 1: Right.

APPRAISER: And in the middle, you have a charm that's a combination of what, exactly?

GUEST 1: When the team won, the wives would get a charm. And so this is their charm bracelet, and it has different years for all the different divisional championships. Or this one here is an outstanding lineman in 1962. This one is a medallion that says on the back, "Seven-time All-Pro, Five-time Pro Bowl." And then we've also got this one, was to commemorate the Super Bowl I ring.

APPRAISER: So in 1959, Vince Lombardi traded for your dad.

GUEST 1: Yes.

APPRAISER: To bring him from Cleveland to the Packers. The rest is history.

GUEST 1: Absolutely.

APPRAISER: Let me ask you this—did your dad wear these rings?

GUEST 1: He wore every one of them until the new one. Once he got Super Bowl II, that is the one that he wore all the time.

APPRAISER: Wore it all the time-- not just on the holidays, not just when people were over-- he never took it off.

GUEST 1: Correct. He was proud of it. Well, he took it off all the time, but he wore it. Because fans and friends wanted to try it on.

APPRAISER: That's great. And you got to meet some of these players. You were there.

GUEST 1: Yes, we grew up with them.

APPRAISER: You grew up with your Hall-of-Fame dad.

GUEST 1: Yes.