From somewhat humble (and experimental!) beginnings, the Super Bowl has grown into nothing short of America’s Party.

But the Super Bowl is more than just a good time — it’s a potent memory builder!

For me, my earliest memories of the Super Bowl are laced with time-yellowed tinges of father-son bonding that come rushing back like Jack Lambert busting through a line.

It’s a connection that’s spanned a lifetime, but some Super Bowls are more poignant reminders than others of the circles we build in our short time here on this marble.

Here, then, with support from some good old football cards buddies, are five long-gone Super Bowls that still make me cherish being a son, and a father.

Super Bowl XIV

Pittsburgh Steelers over Los Angeles Rams (31-19)

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Like most people, I tend to root for the underdog when I don’t have a horse in the race.

Unlike most, maybe, I can trace this tendency back to Super Bowl XIV, the first one I ever watched with my dad.

Just a few weeks earlier, we had stretched out across Mom and Dad’s big bed to watch the college bowl games on the new(ish) TV they had in their bedroom. It was the first time we had watched football together, and we made a whole day of it.

I was hooked, not so much because of the games, but because of the time spent with Dad.

Reprising the whole shebang for the Super Bowl was an easy sell, though Mom was probably hesitant because it meant my staying up late on a school night.

I don’t remember a whole lot from the game, other than Dad telling me the Steelers had been winning forever, and that the Rams were the underdog. He rooted for the underdog.

And so did I.

I also remember broad shoulders in a white jersey with Ram swirls on the shoulders barreling into the Pittsburgh line. Looking at the stats from the game, I think that mist have been Wendell Tyler.

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Could have been Cullen Bryant.

Finally, I remember the Rams led for most of the game, then lost what seemed like a heart-breaker.

Again, looking at the game log, I see Terry Bradshaw hit John Stallworth for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the Steelers up. Franco Harris tacked on another score with less than two minutes remaining.

So, “our” team lost, but Dad and I won.

Super Bowl XV

Oakland Raiders over Philadelphia Eagles (27-10)

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We were back at the scene of the crime in January 1980, and this time, there was no clear underdog, as both teams had won 11 games during the regular season.

I’m pretty sure my dad was rooting for the Eagles in this one, because he thought the Raiders played “dirty.”

I don’t really know if they did or not, though I’ve heard that term applied to Jack Tatum over the years … but Tatum was with the Houston Oilers by the time of Super Bowl XV.

For me, at any rate, football cards and uniforms carried the day.

By then, I had accumulated a few hundred football cards, and all of the Eagles pasteboards seemed rain-drenched and draped in drab green tarps.

It was like M*A*S*H on cardboard.

Depressing and blah!

The Raiders, on the other hand, were all Black and Silver sleekness, and that was good enough for me.

Dad wasn’t too thrilled with my reasoning and even less thrilled with the outcome.

Standouts in my memory include Jim Plunkett, the MVP quarterback who led the Raiders to victory, and Wilbert Montgomery and Harold Carmichael, one of whom seemed to get the call every time the Eagles had the ball.

Neither one of us had much skin in this game, though, so bragging rights were nil.

Super Bowl XX

Chicago Bears over New England Patriots (46-10)

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There was never any doubt about our rooting interests here.

Dad grew up a Bears fan, so naturally, I did, too.

Most years, that was a tough row to hoe, with Chicago essentially wasting Walter Payton’s prime with OK defenses but almost nothing to support Sweetness on the offensive side of the ball.

Under head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, though, the Bears put it all together in 1985, fielding one of the most dominant teams to ever lace up the cleats.

By mid-season, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Bears would run the table and win the Super Bow, and they did — except for that stupid Monday night loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The playoffs were a cakewalk, and when the patsy New England Patriots won the AFC … well, it was all over.

Dad and I sang the “Super Bowl Shuffle” with the rest of the world leading up to the Big Game, and we enjoyed all the festivities that Sunday, which felt more like a coronation than a game.

The only disappointment was that Payton got only 22 touches for 61 yards and no touchdowns.

It was a bummer, but it couldn’t dampen our jubilation in that once-in-two-lifetimes moment.

Super Bowl XXIII

San Francisco 49ers over Cincinnati Bengals (20-16)

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I know Dad and I watched the Niners squeak past the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI, but I barely remember anything from that game other than feeling breathless with excitement at the end.

In fact, the overarching memory from the 1982 Playoffs is “The Catch,” when Dwight Clark shot his spindly arms and fingers into the air to snag a Joe Montana pass in the back of the end zone to take down the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship game.

Talk about breathless!

Seven years later, the two teams were back at it on the Super Bowl stage, but things were a lot different for Dad and me.

By then, I was a junior in high school, and my Mom was sick — really sick. Like, six weeks in the hospital sick, with a lot of tough months ahead of her.

I spent a lot of time at the hospital with Mom, but Dad was there almost all the time he wasn’t working.

All of that conspired to leave me home alone on Super Bowl Sunday since I had school the next day, and I watched the game with chilling memories of the past hanging all around.

Lucky for me, the rematch turned out to be every bit as compelling as the first, with Montana pulling out another last-minute victory over Boomer Esiason, Ickey Woods, Anthony Munoz, and the rest of Cincy’s best.

It took my mind off things, for awhile, at least.

When Dad got home late that night, I was still wired, and I regaled him with stories from the game — after he gave me an update on Mom, of course.

In that moment, a little father-son bonding over a bowl of Jerry Rice was just what we both needed.

Super Bowl XLI

Indianapolis Colts over Chicago Bears (29-17)

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Priorities are a malleable sort of beast.

What’s important to you today may be trivial tomorrow, and things you don’t even know about this year will rule your world in the next.

And so it was that college and grad school and courtship and family-building and career-building took precedence over sports and other trivialities over the 15 years or so that followed that last Bengals-Niners Super Bowl.

I watched the festivities most years, sure, but by the time Peyton Manning was a legend taking flak for not delivering a trophy, I was a passive observer at best.

But life has a funny way of circling back on things, and, even though it had whisked me away from Indiana in the late 1990s, it was pulling me back to my Hoosier roots by late 2005.

In the summer of 2006, we made it home — for good — just in time for the Colts to begin the season that would finally deliver Manning from his post-season demons.

And, though I grew up a Bears fan, I had slowly shifted my allegiance to the hometown Colts since Bob Irsay absconded with them from Baltimore in the dark of night in 1984.

By ’06, if you had asked me which one I rooted for, I would have said both, with a slight nod to the Colts.

It’s much the same today.

By that time, though, I had a five-year-old son who was halfway through Kindergarten, and he had a definite rooting interest — Colts all the way.

In a football sense, then, Super Bowl XLI was the perfect homecoming. I couldn’t lose!

And so we pulled and shouted and lived and died with every heart-stopping minute of that cardiac playoff run, and we darn near brought down the house jumping for joy when Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Joseph Addai, Gary Brackett, Adam Vinatieri, Tony Dungy, Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders and all the rest nailed down that Lombardi Trophy.

It was a moment that flooded me with father-son memories, and father-son dreams, and it made me remember just how sharp a full circle can jab at your soul — for better or worse.

To wit, the Chiefs played in two of the first four Big Games, and the 49ers won four championships in the 1980s and another in 1995 — and lost one in 2013.

Not surprisingly, several players from these franchises shined bright in the Super Bowl, sometimes even when they were playing for other teams!

Here, then, is the list of men who have won Super Bowl MVP awards and played for either the Chiefs or 49ers — or both — at some point in their careers.

And, because we’re collectors here, we’ll check out their rookie cards along the way.

1963 Fleer Len Dawson (#47)

And Dawson himself may have been left for dead when he suffered a devastating knee injury in the second game of the 1969 season.

Len Dawson and the Chiefs may have dropped the first Super Bowl to the Green Bay Packers (35-10) in January 1967.

But he hobbled back into the lineup after missing just five games, and after backup Mike Livingston ran up a 6-0 record.

Dawson was back in the saddle full-time by the playoffs and guided K.C. to road victories over the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders, then handed the Minnesota Vikings the first of their four 1970s Super Bowl losses, 23-7.

In that game, Dawson passed for 142 yards and a single touchdown, a 46-yarder to Otis Taylor in the third that represented the last points in the contest.

It was enough to earn the geezer QB Super Bowl MVP honors.

Incidentally, that was also the last game ever played by an AFL team, as the AFL-NFL merger gave birth to one league and two conferences (AFC and NFC) in 1970.

Though Dawson started out with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957, he didn’t land a rookie card until the 1963 Fleer issue — the upstart got the jump on Topps by a year.

The Dawson rookie card is a toughie and runs into the hundreds (raw) or thousands (high grades), depending on condition and whether it’s graded.

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1972 Topps Jim Plunkett (#65)

Plunkett was the first overall pick of the New England Patriots in the 1971 NFL Draft after winning the Heisman Trophy in 1970.

He threw a lot of picks and took a lot of hits (and sacks) in five years with the Pats before they traded him to the San Francisco 49ers.

After two seasons by the Bay, he headed … well, across the Bay, to the Oakland Raiders. In his second season with the Men in Black, Plunkett led the Raiders to a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV.

In that one, Plunkett passed for 261 yards and three TDs to cop MVP honors.

His 1972 Topps rookie card ranges from less than $20 to $150 or more for high-end graded copies.

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1981 Topps Joe Montana (#216)

You know all about Joe Montana, but just in case, the gist is …

Teamed with Bill Walsh to make the West Coast offense a thing and the 49ers a force … won four Super Bowls and three SB MVP awards in the process.

Teamed with Jerry Rice to become Montana-to-Rice …

Lost that to Young-to-Rice, and the Niners’ QB job to Steve Young.

Signed with Chiefs on big three-year free agent deal, led them to two playoff appearances, then retired.

Oh yeah … Montana also set the hobby on fire with his 1981 Topps rookie card, a relic that still stirs collector emotions today.

Expect three figures-plus unless half of it is missing.

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1983 Topps Marcus Allen (#294)

After a season as Marc Wilson‘s backup and a strike-shortened 1982, Plunkett had the Raiders back in the Super Bowl after the 1983 season … you know, with a little (lot of) help from his friends.

Chief among those was second-year running back Marcus Allen from USC.

After a Heisman performance at Southern Cal, Allen was the tenth overall pick in 1982.

And after racking up 1000-plus yards in his second season in 1983, Allen pounded the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII to the tune of 191 yards and two touchdowns.

Yep, that was an MVP performance in the Raid-ahz 38-9 victory, one of many accolades in Allen’s Hall of Fame career.

His 1983 Topps rookie card has been a popular buy for nearly 40 years and remains a classic today.

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1985 Topps Richard Dent (#24)

The 1985 Chicago Bears were one of the greatest teams of all time, and maybe the greatest one-season champs (though they gave it a good ride in 1986, as well).

And, though the team featured the legendary Walter Payton and other big names like Jim McMahon, Willie Gault,and William Perry (The Fridge!), on offense, it was Buddy Ryan’s legendary “46” defensive unit that carried the day most of the time.

So, as Mike Ditka‘s team stormed through the playoffs and practiced their “Super Bowl Shuffle,” there were plenty of dudes on D who could dominate any given game.

Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, Gary Fencik, Wilber Marshall, Otis Wilson, Perry … the names roll off the tongue of long-time football fans.

But it was first-year starter Richard Dent who led the NFL in sacks (17) and copped Super Bowl XX MVP honors by virtue of a sack-and-a-half and name recognition at defensive end.

In truth, the Patriots were overmatched by just about every Bear in that 46-10 drubbing, so you could have picked MVP from a hat.

Dent is a rightful denizen of Canton, though, and his rookie card in the iconic black-bordered 1985 Topps set looks as menacing as ever and remains a collector favorite.

Oh, right … the Chiefs-Niners connection?

Dent played two games for San Fran in 1994, the year Young led them to Super Bowl victory over the San Diego Chargers.

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2014 Panini Prestige Malcolm Smith (#200)

The Seattle Seahawks selected Smith in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of USC, and he never really did become a full-time starter in his four seasons in the northwest.

The middle linebacker did make it into Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos after his third season, though, and he made the most of it.

Smith tied for the team lead with ten tackles and also recovered a fumble.

The big news, though, was the Peyton Manning pass he picked off and ran back for a 69-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It was all part of Seattle’s 43-8 blowout and enough to garner Smith MVP honors.

After another year in Seattle, Smith was off to Oakland for two seasons before spending 2018 with the Niners to make our list. (He split 2019 between the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars.)

Debuting as he did during the modern card era, Smith offers collectors a few choices when it comes to rookie cards.

We’re going with the 2014 Panini Prestige because … well, because it shows Smith with the Seahawks and because it looks pretty cool.

You won’t have to break the bank to buy one, either.

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2012 Topps Nick Foles (#186)

Foles is the the guy the Philadelphia Eagles never seemed to really want but who pulled their butts out of the fire over and over again.

A third-round pick in 2012 out of Arizona, Foles quickly became a relief specialist … Philly called on him any time their starter went down or self-destructed.

They even traded him to the St. Louis Rams before the 2015 season, which eventually led him to the Chiefs after the Rams released him in the summer of 2016.

Foles relieved K.C. starter Alex Smith after the latter suffered a concussion, but Smith soon reclaimed his job … in all Foles played three games and started one for the Chiefs.

They released him in March 2017.

The Eagles signed him that month as a free agent to backup second-year QB Carson Wentz, who went on a tear in the fall — and then tore his ACL in Game 14.

Foles relieved Wentz in that game and led the Eagles on a storied run that culminated in a Super bowl LII victory over the Patriots — and a SB MVP award for Foles.

The Eagles and Foles danced around for another year before Wentz predictably nailed down the starting job for good. Foles left as a free agent in 2019, landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Like Smith, Foles offers up a lot of rookie card options. We’re going with the standard Topps issue here, showcasing a classic throwing motion from Foles.

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And then, of course, there is their head-to-head match-up in Super Bowl LIV.

But did you know there is another tie between the two storied franchises? On that runs right through the heart of the teams?

Well, there is, and it’s manifested in the six men who have taken snaps with both teams — many of them chained together over the course of a decade or so.

Here, then, are the quarterbacks who have played for both the 49ers and the Chiefs, along with one rookie card each.

1979 Topps Steve DeBerg (#77)

DeBerg had a rocky road in the NFL but eventually built himself into a solid quarterback, even if he never was a true superstar.

Selected in the 10th round of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, DeBerg was waived before the season. He then caught on with the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad that September.

Partway through the 1978 season, DeBerg had nabbed the starting job for the lowly Niners. As the first QB to guide Bill Walsh‘s West Coast Offense, DeBerg led the NFL in attempts and completions.

Alas, San Fran drafted Joe Montana that year, and DeBerg was on the bench by the midway point in 1980.

Before the 1981 season, the Broncos traded for DeBerg. In three seasons with Denver, he backed up Craig Morton and John Elway before heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spring of 1984.

In Tampa, DeBerg found solid playing time, serving as the primary starter in three of four seasons for the franchise that drafted Vinny Testaverde and Steve Young as he came in the door.

DeBerg finally landed in Kansas City in March 1988, and he started 52 games over his four seasons in Arrowhead. The 1990 and 1991 seasons both saw the Chiefs make the playoffs.

At 38, DeBerg was on the move again for the 1992 season, heading back to Tampa, then to the Miami Dolphins before hanging up his cleats in 1993.

Oh … he also came back, to the Atlanta Falcons, for an eight-game stint in 1998.

All told, DeBerg passed for more than 34,000 yards and 196 TDs … not bad for a dude that couldn’t seem to put down roots.

His 1981 Topps football card has enjoyed varying degrees of popularity over the decades, but can generally be found for a buck or so, raw, today. It shows a young DeBerg at the beginning of his NFL journey, with the Niners.

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1981 Topps Joe Montana (#216)

Montana’s path through the NFL was a bit more straightforward than DeBerg’s.

Though he fell all the way to the third round in the 1979 NFL Draft, Montana was sort of handpicked by Walsh coming out of Notre Dame.

“The Genius” thought Montana would be the perfect dude to implement the West Coast in full, and he moved the youngster up to supplant DeBerg midway through the 1980 season.

By 1981, Montana and Walsh had the Niners winning their first Super Bowl.

They did it again 1984, 1988, and 1989.

In 1987, though, Walsh traded with the Bucs to pick up Steve Young, and the young buck was chomping at the bit for playing time. He pushed, and Montana squirmed a little, for six full seasons.

Finally, the Niners traded Montana to the Chiefs before the 1993 season.

Battling injuries and age (37) by that point, Montana managed just 25 starts in two campaigns with the Chiefs before announcing his retirement. He did get K.C. into the playoffs both years, though.

By that time, Montana’s legend had been sealed, and his 1981 Topps rookie card had long been a driving force in the hobby.

In fact, it was the first RC of an active football player to really move the needle at all, and it helped make the gridiron a legitimate hotbed for collectors.

Today, the Montana rookie ranges from under $100 to thousands depending on gradedness and condition.

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1989 Topps Traded Bob Gagliano (#38T)

Gagliano’s career doesn’t look quite as shiny as the other guys on this list, but he’s an interesting case, nonetheless.

Drafted by the Chiefs in the 12th round in 1982, Gagliano made it into one game in each of 1982 and 1983.

From there, he jumped over to the Denver Gold of the USFL in 1984 and 1985, evidently putting up a good enough showing to nab some NFL attention when the upstart league folded.

In 1987, he landed with the 49ers, where he appeared in three games and — amazingly, considering the presence of Montana and Young — started one.

Gagliano was out of the league again in 1988 but caught on with the Detroit Lions in 1989, starting a career-high seven games (among 11 appearances).

That was enough to finally earn him a rookie card, number 38T in the 1989 Topps Traded set.

Gagliano would spend one more season in Detroit before winding up his career with the San Diego Chargers in 1991 and 1992.

Not surprisingly, his Topps RC can be had for a song most of the time today.

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1992 Playoff Steve Bono (#42)

A sixth-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, Bono spent four years coming off the bench for the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers to start his career.

And, by “coming off the bench,” I mean he appeared in a total of ten games those four seasons, though he did start three in 1987 with the Steelers.

Bono landed in San Fran in 1989, and it was more of the same. He did get a starting shot in 1991, though, and led the Niners to a stout 5-1 record in six games.

That got Bono into all 16 games in 1992 and eight in 1993 as he became Young’s primary backup.

In 1994, though, Bono followed Montana to the Chiefs, and he inherited the starting role once Superstar rode off into the sunset.

K.C. won the AFC West in 1995 but bowed out to the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the playoffs.

After the team fell to 8-5 in 1996, Bono was gone to the Green Bay Packers, and back on the bench (behind Brett Favre).

He finished up by turning in one year each for the St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers.

Owing to his spotty early career, Bono didn’t score a rookie card until 1992. By that time, the hobby was booming, and everyone with a printing press was issuing cards.

The Playoff issue shows up here because it was different and looks very retro, sort of majestic, with Bono in color relief against a black and white background.

Expect to pay not much for this RC from the heart of the junk wax era.

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1993 Wild Card Elvis Grbac (#7)

Say what you will about Elvis Grbac … he has the coolest name on this list!

In terms of his career, Grbac started NFL life as the Niners’ eighth-round pick in 1994 and spent the next three years coming off the bench.

He followed Bono’s trail to Kansas City, though, becoming the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 1997.

Grbac suffered an injury in the ninth game that season and had to give way to Rich Gannon for the next six before starting the finale.

Between the two of them, the Chiefs’ QBs piled up a 13-3 record, then Grbac drew the starting assignment against the Denver Broncos … the Chiefs lost.

Grbac was a part-time starter in 1998, then took the reins again full-time in 1999 and 2000 when Gannon headed to the Oakland Raiders.

That last season in K.C. was Grbac’s best, statistically, and he parlayed his 4100+ yards into a five-year free agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

After a disappointing 2001 in Baltimore, though, the Ravens released Grbac, and he was done.

Like Bono, Grbac debuted on cardboard at the peak of the glossy, hyped-up flood in the early 1990s, so there are plenty of choices in rookie cards.

Wild Card makes the cut here because it’s an apt time capsule and adds some built-in variety since you can collect the various denominations.

The good news is, none of them should break the bank.

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2005 Bowman Alex Smith (#114)

Of all the men on this list, Alex Smith was easily the most ballyhooed coming out of college.

But that’s as expected for the number one overall pick, a status Smith attained in 2005 when the then-lowly 49ers picked him to be their franchise cornerstone.

For the most part, Smith made steady progress through his first several years in the leagues, save for a 2008 campaign lost to a shoulder injury.

By 2011, he had San Fran at 13-3 and in the playoffs, and nearly the Super Bowl.

The next season, a concussion for Smith opened the door to playing time for Colin Kaepernik, who led coach Jim Harbaugh‘s charges to within three points of a Super Bowl win.

The 49ers traded Smith to the Chiefs that off-season, and was a consistent star performer over five years in Kansas City.

With the arrival of Patrick Mahomes in K.C., though, Smith became expendable, and the Chiefs traded him to the Washington Redskins before the 2018 season.

In Washington, Smith suffered a devastating compound fracture to his leg in Week 11 of the 2018 season and spent the rest of that year and all of 2019 undergoing surgeries and rehab in his recovery attempt.

As the only fully contemporary player on our list, Smith gets a Bowman RC here since the brand has pretty much become synonymous with “rookie card.”

Even so, his 2005 Bowman is a good-looking issue that you can pick up — depending on which parallel you want — for a couple bucks or so.

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Hmmm … well, in-person candidates might be tough to come by.

But …

One of the great things about collecting in the internet age is that we have instant access to all sorts of artifacts we could have never even dreamed existed 30 years ago.

I mean, who wouldn’t want a hunk of Ty Cobb’s choppers?

Well … OK, maybe that’s over the top for some of us.

But the fact remains, there is some amazing stuff out there for sale at any given moment, and some of it is crazy, crazy expensive.

That’s not so motivating if you actually want to own, say, Vince Lombardi’s house, but it’s pretty great for daydreaming and building out your “someday” list.

And, while the Lombardi home might be a bit out of reach when it comes to Big Game swag, there is plenty of more manageable fare that’s still mind-blowing.

In that spirit, here are ten outrageously expensive Super Bowl collectibles that you can actually buy … if you have the stacks and motivation.

(This post contains affiliate links — if you click through and buy something, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

1971-72 Jim Kiick Game-Worn Miami Dolphins Jersey

Despite the nomenclatural evidence to the contrary, Jim Kiick was not a kicker … or a punter.

Nope, Kiick was a Pro Bowl running back for the Miami Dolphins in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and a key member of the team that won two Super Bowls in a row, after the 1972 and 1973 seasons.

That first year included the NFL’s only perfect season, with the Dolphins going 14-0, then streaking through the playoffs.

Kiick wore this jersey during that storied season, and in 1971, too.

Yowsa!

Check out the sale listing here. (affiliate link)

1966 & 1967 Green Bay Packers Super Bowl I & II Champs Team-Signed Helmet

Speaking of Lombardi, as we were above, the coaching legend led his Green Bay Packers to victory in each of the first two Super Bowls, after the 1966 and 1967 seasons.

This Riddell helmet didn’t see action in those games — or any game — but it’s loaded with signatures from the team’s stars (and not-so stars).

Among the autographs here are Bart Starr, Boyd Dowler, Forrest Gregg, Bob Long, Jim Taylor, and many, many others.

It’s a Hall of Fame/Packers/Super Bowl bonanza!

Check out the full listing here. (affiliate link)

Super Bowl Program Collection I-LIII — All Original Stadium Issued Programs

One of the joys of attending live sporting events is gathering mementos at the venue that can remind you of the big day for years into the future.

Decades, even.

And one of the best collectibles for capturing the color and era of any game is the game program.

Super Bowl game programs, in particular, have always been colorful and somehow larger than life, and the perfect keepsake for those who were there … or even for those who watched on TV.

You didn’t attend all of the first 53 Super Bowls — probably! — and you likely didn’t even watch all of them on TV.

But this lot of 53 Super Bowl programs lets you grab a bit of that in-the-moment flavor of each of those Big Games, anyway.

See the complete listing here for a full rundown. (affiliate link)

Super Bowl MVP Multi-Signed Super Bowl XL Giclee with 45 Signatures

Through the first 53 Super Bowls, 46 different men were named Most Valuable Player of the Big Game — a total of 54 awards, since Harvey Martin and Randy White shared the award for Super Bowl XII.

Not all of those guys signed this fine art print, but a whopping 45 did, including superstars like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, John Riggins, and many more.

Check out the complete roster on the giclee listing here. (affiliate link)

1966-67 Green Bay Packers Super Bowl I Team-Autographed Football

If that bright and shiny Packers helmet up there (^) doesn’t quite tweak your nostalgia strings when it comes to Lombardi’s squads, check out this vintage Spalding football.

The sigs aren’t nearly as bold, but you get Vince himself right above the “Spalding” logo … and you could almost imagine Bart Starr handing this rock off to Jim Grabowski.

You can find the full details in the listing here. (affiliate link)

Vintage 1972 Miami Dolphins Team-Signed Football

Another great team, another signed football with a certificate of authenticity.

This one takes us back to the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins and offers up all the biggies from the team, like Bob Griese, Paul Warfield, and others.

Check out the complete listing here. (affiliate link)

Vince Lombardi Autographed 1969 Super Bowl III Program

Vince Lombardi may have led his team to victory in the first two Super Bowls, but it was Joe Namath who really put the game on the map … with his mouth.

You might remember that Namath guaranteed his underdog New York Jets — representing the “lowly” AFL — would take down the mighty Baltimore Colts in the Big Game.

Everyone laughed and guffawed and called Namath a fool — until he delivered on his promise!

The two legendary figures come together on this piece, a 1969 game program from Super Bowl III, autographed by Lombardi.

Get the details in the full listing here. (affiliate link)

1968 New York Jets Team-Signed Helmet

And if you want a little more J-E-T-S in your Super Bowl III memorabilia?

This team-signed helmet fits the bill.

Like the Packers helmet above, this is not game-used, but the shiny, new brain bucket captures all the big sigs from the team, including Namath himself, running back Matt Snell, receiver George Sauer, and Pro-Bowl defensive end Gerry Philbin.

(There is some Super Bowl math here, as it was the 1968 Jets who won Super Bowl III in January 1969).

See this thing in all its online glory here. (affiliate link)

1966 Kansas City Chiefs Team-Signed Football

The 1966 Kansas City Chiefs may not have won the first Super Bowl, but they were the first AFL team to lineup in a title game against the NFL’s best.

There was a bit (or more) of stigma that came with being part of the “lesser” league before the Jets’ upset win in 1969, and before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 that wrought one league with two conferences (AFC and NFC).

The Chiefs lived up to their kid-brother billing, bowing to the Pack in Super Bowl I, 35-10.

Still, this was a legendary squad, and this vintage football features the signatures of many of the team’s best, including Len Dawson, Mike Garrett, Emmitt Thomas, Bert Coan, and a slew of others.

Check out the full listing here.

Len Dawson Signed Super Bowl I Media Press Guide

If you’re more in the mood for some single-player focus from that first Super Bowl, this media guide might fit the bill.

Len Dawson was unquestionably the face of the Chiefs, an all-time great QB who eventually landed his own bust in Canton.

He fared just OK in Super Bowl I, passing for 211 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but four sacks pretty much told the story of his day.

Still, this media guide features a strong single Dawson sig, adorned with his “#16” and accompanied by a JSA letter of authentication.

Check out the full listing here. (affiliate link)