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John Keim
ASHBURN, Va. — As a kid in Northern California, Jason Oppenheim wanted one item more than any other: a John Riggins jersey. When he was around 8 or 9 years old, he finally received one as a gift. It paired well with the poster of the Washington Hall of Fame fullback on his bedroom wall.
As an adult, the «Selling Sunset» star wanted the Riggins jersey. This time, price didn’t matter — he paid $470,000 to get one.
Tennessee. Oppenheim attempted field goals on the practice field with Tress Way serving as the holder. And he attended a ceremony for Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk when the team retired his jersey this past season.
That’s why he was determined to end up with the Riggins’ jersey once Hunt Auctions announced it was up for sale. At 1 a.m. the morning of the auction, Oppenheim said he was so excited he stayed up until 3:30 a.m. re-watching Super Bowl XVII.
The initial estimates suggested the jersey would sell for perhaps $200,000. Once it hit $250,000, Oppenheim said he announced a bid of $350,000.
«Just to shut the auction down,» he said. «I was going all-in to win this jersey. But at the last second someone bid $360,000. So I threw out $400,000.»
That’s where it closed, with another $70,000 tacked on for a buyer’s premium.
«I thought I was bidding against the ownership,» Oppenheim said. «But I think I was just bidding against people like me.»
He then purchased the ring for $105,750. He’d like to somehow include those items on «Selling Sunset.» He’s told Riggins that if he ever needed to wear the ring for an event, he would loan it to him. And Oppenheim said he has talked to the team about finding a way to display the jersey so more fans can see it.
«I wanted to make sure these items were not controlled by someone who would hoard them, keep them from the fan base and have it as some type of investment opportunity,» he said. «I don’t feel I own these things; I feel they’re owned by the fans. To be a custodian is an honor.
«It’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream, which is to be the custodian of part of my childhood.»
