Quote:
Originally Posted by ruth-gehrig
Sweet ring! It must have been a favorite of his  How many player rings from the 1927 Yankees are known in the collecting world? I know Charlie Sheen has Ruth's from '27 right? |
Great question!
According to my Records, Joe Dugan's '27 ring (in amazing condition) sold in a Leland's auction in 2002 for $11,205.12.
A club house manager (non player) ring (same as the players received) sold in a Leland's auction in 2005 for $21,326.
Miller Huggins' ring was sold in a Mastro auction for $204,000 in 2007.
Earle Combs ring was sold by Heritage in 2014 for $155,350. It was in great condition too.
The Benny Bengough ring is poor-to-fair condition and sold in 2015 by Heritage for $38,240.00. A couple of people in the hobby who know about rings thought I did very well. I feel very fortunate to have acquired this ring as another bid would have meant it would have been beyond my ability to buy it.
Here's where things get a little foggy...
In researching Yankee rings, I learned that in 1999, Sotheby’s sold what was believed to be Lou Gehrig’s 1927 ring for $96,000. The ring originated from the famous collection of Barry Halper.
Combining Barry Halper and the words "believed to be...." are not what some collectors want to hear so I am not sure if the ring was authentic or what it sold for.
Barry Halper also reportedly owed Ruth's 1927 ring. Please don't kill the messenger, I am just posting, that according to an excerpt from a Hauls of Shame story about Ruth's 1927 ring:
"questions about the origins of the ring were raised in a story published on Deadspin. The Babe’s granddaughter, Linda Ruth Tosetti, questioned the rings authenticity and whether it was stolen from the Ruth family decades ago. A 1988 book writtten by her mother, Dorothy Ruth Pirone, also claimed that the Bambino’s World Series rings had mysteriously vanished sometime after her father’s death in 1948. Confusing the matter were statements made by deceased collector Barry Halper in 1990 that he had purchased Ruth’s 1927 ring from Dorothy Ruth Pirone. Pirone’s daughter, Linda, said Halper’s story was a “huge lie.” "