Nearly a century ago, the Red Sox and Yankees completed what might be the most famous baseball transaction of all time, when Boston sold Babe Ruth to New York.
Obviously history hasn’t looked kindly upon that deal, as Ruth ended up being the consensus best player of all time, and the Red Sox ended up not winning anything until 2004. But, history has certainly looked upon the deal a great bit, which means an auction of one of the two original contracts for the trade/sale is going to drum up a lot of interest among baseball collectors:
The sales contract of Babe Ruth, forged in December 1919, that sent the pitcher and slugger from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees is being sold by auctioneer Lelands.com.
Lelands’ Josh Evans said the document being sold is the original copy of the contract belonging to then-Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert. The copy once owned by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee last sold for $996,000 in 2005.
Evans goes on to bring up how the “Curse of the Bambino” was an incredibly important thing, which it was, kind of, except for that curses aren’t real. Still, there’s no denying that this particular move helped set the tone for the New York/Boston rivalry, and interest in an actual historical document like this one will surely be high.
And yet, it might not even be the coolest thing in the auction:
Lelands.com is also selling Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring — believed to be owned by Charlie Sheen. Evans would say only that the ring has never been sold publicly and that the chain of custody went from Ruth’s widow, Claire, to Barry Halper to Evans, who sold it to the current seller.
“The ring is insanely over the top,” Evans said. “It’s the greatest thing you can own from the greatest player in the greatest year. It’s absurd.”
Evans said he expects the ring to break the record rings at auction. Julius Erving’s 1974 New York Nets ABA championship ring was sold for $460,471 by SCP Auctions in 2011.
It’s almost hard to believe Charlie Sheen needs some cash, isn’t it? Also, Evans may as well be describing his own sales technique there, but it’s hard to blame him. And in the end, someone with a lot of disposable income will be thrilled with their purchase.
[ESPN]
