You’d think for five million dollars, someone would hire a proofreader. Honestly. When the Kansas City Chiefs gathered in June 2023 at Union Station to receive their hardware for winning Super Bowl LVII, the vibes were immaculate. Champagne was flowing. Patrick Mahomes was grinning. Then, people actually started looking at the inside of the 2023 Super Bowl ring and noticed something... awkward.
The jewelry, crafted by Jostens, is a masterpiece of excess. It’s got 609 diamonds. It’s got 16 rubies. It’s got 10-karat white and yellow gold. But tucked away in the engraving that lists the team’s playoff opponents and their seeds, there’s a glaring error. They listed the Detroit Lions as a seventh seed. They weren't. They were the ninth seed and didn't even make the playoffs that year.
Mistakes happen. Even when you're spending forty grand per finger.
What Makes the 2023 Super Bowl Ring So Ridiculous?
When you hold a piece of jewelry that weighs more than a small bird, you realize these aren't just "rings" anymore. They are trophies you wear on your hand. The 2023 Super Bowl ring was designed to tell a very specific story about the 2022-2023 season, and the level of detail is kind of exhausting if you really get into the weeds.
First off, the top of the ring actually comes off. It's a pendant. If you flip it over, there's a mini version of Arrowhead Stadium inside. It’s shaped like the stadium, finished in gold, and it even includes the "Loud and Proud" mantra. Why? Because when you have that many diamonds, you need a secret compartment to hide more gold. It's basically a luxury Swiss Army knife for NFL legends.
The number of diamonds isn't random. Nothing in NFL jewelry is ever random. There are 16 diamonds on the top to represent the 16 division titles the Chiefs have won in their history. There are three Lombardi Trophies on the face, obviously marking their three Super Bowl wins up to that point (IV, LIV, and LVII). Each trophy has a marquise-cut diamond.
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The Math Behind the Ice
If you're a numbers person, the specs on this thing are wild. We're talking 16.10 carats.
- The 609 diamonds are broken down into different cuts: round, baguette, and marquise.
- The 16 rubies aren't just for the team color; they represent the number of games the team won that season, including the playoffs.
- The ring is heavy. Like, "I might get carpal tunnel if I wear this to dinner" heavy.
Most people don't realize that the players don't pay for these. The NFL pays a certain amount—historically around $5,000 to $7,000 per ring—and the team ownership covers the rest. For the 2023 Super Bowl ring, Clark Hunt and the Chiefs organization clearly went way over the league's "budget" to make sure it outshone the 2020 version.
That Infamous Typo and Why It Still Matters
Let's talk about the elephant in the locker room. The inside of the ring lists the Chiefs' postseason path: Jaguars (4 seed), Bengals (3 seed), and Eagles (1 seed). But right there, next to the "DET" abbreviation, it says "7."
The Detroit Lions didn't play the Chiefs in the 2022-2023 playoffs. The Chiefs played the Miami Dolphins? No, wait—it was actually the Seattle Seahawks who were the 7th seed in the NFC. The Lions were the 9th seed and were famously eliminated despite beating the Packers in the final week. It seems the designers mixed up the seeding or the opponent list entirely during the engraving process.
Travis Kelce addressed this on his New Heights podcast, and his take was basically: "Who cares?"
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He argued that the ring is so cool that the typo actually makes it more unique. It’s a "misprint" coin, but for billionaires. In the world of high-end collectibles, sometimes the errors are what make the item legendary decades later. If you’re a Chiefs fan looking for a replica, you’ll actually find that some knock-offs "fixed" the error, while the high-end replicas kept it for "authenticity."
The Logistics of Giving Out $5 Million in Jewelry
The ceremony itself is a closed-door affair. It’s not for the fans. It’s for the players, the staff, and the families. When the 2023 Super Bowl ring was unveiled, it was handed out in individual boxes that featured a small screen. When you opened the box, a video started playing of the season’s highlights.
Imagine opening a box and it starts screaming "Touchdown, Mahomes!" at you while $40,000 of gold reflects into your eyes. It’s peak NFL.
But it’s not just for the superstars. The "football world" is bigger than the 53-man roster. Rings are usually distributed in tiers:
- Level A: Players, coaches, and top executives. These are the "everything" rings with all the diamonds.
- Level B and C: Front office staff, scouts, and longtime employees. These look similar but might use cubic zirconia or lower-karat gold to keep costs down.
- Level D: Sometimes even the cheerleaders and part-time staff get a version, though it's usually much smaller.
Comparing 2023 to the 2024 "Back-to-Back" Ring
People often ask if the 2023 ring is better than the one they got for winning Super Bowl LVIII (the 2024 ring). It’s a toss-up. The 2024 ring added even more diamonds because, well, that's what you do when you're a dynasty. But the 2023 version was the one that set the "removable top" trend for the Chiefs. It felt more like a piece of art than a piece of jewelry.
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The 2023 ring also features the phrase "Chiefs Kingdom" on one side and the player’s name and number on the other. The font is custom. The gold is polished to a mirror finish. It captures a specific moment when Patrick Mahomes proved he could win without Tyreek Hill, which many "experts" said was impossible.
Real Talk on the Secondary Market
Can you buy one? Probably not an original. At least not yet.
When players go bankrupt or hit hard times, these rings end up at auction houses like Heritage or Goldin. A genuine 2023 Super Bowl ring from a starter would likely fetch north of $100,000 at auction today. If it was Mahomes’ ring? You're looking at seven figures.
For the average fan, Jostens sells "fan versions." They look almost identical from a distance but are made of "Lustrium" (a non-precious metal alloy) and crystals instead of diamonds. They cost about $500 to $1,000. It’s a lot of money for "fake" jewelry, but for a die-hard in Kansas City, it's the closest they'll get to the real thing.
Actionable Steps for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to buy a piece of this history, you need to be smart. The market is flooded with fakes.
- Verify the Maker: Genuine NFL rings from this era are made by Jostens. If the "COA" (Certificate of Authenticity) says anything else, run away.
- Check the Weight: Real gold and diamond rings are heavy. Replicas are usually light or made of cheap zinc alloys that feel "tinny."
- Look for the Error: If you’re buying a "high-end replica" and it doesn't have the Detroit Lions seeding error, it’s not a faithful reproduction of what the players actually received.
- Insurance Matters: If you happen to be a staffer or someone who owns a real one, get an independent appraisal. The value of gold and diamonds has fluctuated wildly since 2023, and the "collectible premium" for Chiefs gear is at an all-time high.
The 2023 Super Bowl ring is a weird, beautiful, expensive mistake. It represents a team at the height of its powers, so confident that they didn't even care if the internal stats were wrong. It's a heavy-metal reminder that even at the highest level of professional sports, there's room for a little bit of human error. Just make sure that if you're buying a tribute piece, you know exactly which version of the story you're getting.