UConn Women's Basketball Championship Rings
Watch
GUEST:
I started working for the best coach in the country in 1994. And because of that, I've been uh along for the ride with his success, and I have 11 national championship rings from the UConn women's basketball program.
APPRAISER:
Incredibly impressive coach, Geno Auriemma.
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
How are you affiliated with the team?
GUEST:
I kind of do the behind-the-scenes work to make sure the team gets to where they need to go, make sure the coach is where he needs to be, and set up the schedule-- those types of housekeeping things.
APPRAISER:
Well, I'd say those are pretty important things, because you keep the machine running. We have a whole history here. Some of the greatest players in basketball history, period...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...are represented here.
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
Can you tell me some of these?
GUEST:
The first national championship was my very first year there.
APPRAISER:
That's 1995, and that was the Rebecca Lobo-Pam Webber era. And then in 2000 was when Svetlana Abrosimova played with us, and Shea Ralph, who's now the head coach at Vanderbilt. And then we move into the Sue Bird- Diana Taurasi era. From there, it's the '09 and the '10 championship, and that was Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery. And then the last four were consecutive. And that senior class that won that fourth consecutive in 2016, it, that's unprecedented. No other college athlete in the sport of basketball has won four. And that was Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck, and Moriah Jefferson.
APPRAISER:
You're part of one of the greatest dynasties in sports history, period, and uh certainly one of the most important uh contemporary dynasties and had, had such an incredible influence on so many people, and the popularity of women's basketball, primarily because of just how incredibly successful this program has been. What's interesting about this, you have all 11 here, and there aren't too many people on the planet who have 11 championship rings. Who affiliated with the program does, at this point?
GUEST:
Obviously Coach Auriemma and Coach Dailey, they built the program, they're responsible for all the success of the program. To my knowledge, I think it's only the three of us that have all 11.
APPRAISER:
There's somewhat of an established value, and college championship rings can vary, but generally speaking, I'd say a championship ring from a UConn Women's Basketball Championship, which is very popular and very desirable, probably would be worth between $3,000 and $4,000-- for a single ring.
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
Now, this is the complete set. The sum is much greater than the parts, and I've actually conferred with several colleagues of mine, and we are all in total agreement that, that a collection like this is so special and so important, I'd insure it for $100,000. Not a, no question about it.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
I think it could be more valuable in the future, as time goes by and people realize what an incredible thing this actually represents.
GUEST:
And hopefully we add to it.
APPRAISER:
Oh, absolutely.
GUEST:
Well thank you.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, thank you.
GUEST:
Thanks.
APPRAISER:
And thanks for bringing it in. It's so cool. I know people out there are, like, "Wow!" Nobody gets to see something like this. It's really cool.
GUEST:
Thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
Thanks.
GUEST:
Are you kidding?
APPRAISER:
No.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
