In May, we wrote about an original trade contract from the deal that sent Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees going up for auction. In that story, it was speculated that along with that contract, a Babe Ruth World Series ring that was for auction may have been the one owned by Charlie Sheen:
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no denying that this particular move helped set the tone for the New York/Boston rivalry, and interest in an actual historical document like this one will surely be high.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?
As it turns out, that ring was indeed Sheen’s! But moreover, so was the Babe Ruth contract, as reported today by ESPN’s Darren Rovell:
Charlie Sheen has revealed himself as the owner of two of the most coveted pieces of Babe Ruth memorabilia, which will be sold Friday.
Sheen told ESPN on Monday that it is he who consigned Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series ring and an original copy of the sale document that sent The Bambino from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees to auction house Lelands.com.
Bidding on the ring has topped $600,000, which will make it the highest-priced sports championship ring ever sold. The high bid on the sale document, which was the copy owned by Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, has surpassed $400,000. The copy owned by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold in 2005 for $996,000.
Sheen went on record, saying he just felt the time was right to pass on the memorabilia to someone else; that it looks like he’ll end up clearing north of a million is a nice bonus, as well:
“I’ve enjoyed these incredible items for more than two decades and the time has come,” said the actor who famously played pitcher Rick Vaughn in the “Major League” movies. “Whatever price it brings is gravy.”
The items were purchased in the early ’90s, and Sheen said he displayed them in a bar area in his house that he named after the slugger.
Sheen said he doesn’t remember what he paid for the Ruth items — they were sold to him by Josh Evans of Lelands, who is now selling them for Sheen — but he said he will certainly come away with a profit.
They are some really cool pieces of history, and you’d also think that the fact they were owned by Sheen for a time adds to their value, for a certain kind of collector.
[ESPN]