The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said a die-hard Steelers fan read an article in the newspaper about the auction July 11. The story was accompanied by photographs of the rings and the fan alerted the newspaper that the Super Bowl IX ring, which commemorated the Steelers' 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, bore an incorrect final score for the divisional game, the Post-Gazette reported Tuesday.

The ring read: "Steelers 32, Bills 6" but the actual final score of the divisional game was Steelers 32, Bills 14.

Minneapolis-based jeweler Jostens said it checked the original ring molds, which are stored by the company in a vault, and found they do indeed bear the incorrect score.

Steelers officials said they were shocked to learn of the error and were surprised no one had noticed the mistake in the more than 30 years since the game.

"I'll be damned," said Joe Gordon, who headed the Steelers public relations and marketing from 1969 to 1998. "I find it almost impossible to believe because so many of us checked it."

Both rings up for auction were purchased by an unknown buyer for more than $66,000.