For around $750,000, you could own a piece of the New York Yankees’ first World Series championship in 1923.
In the early days of Major League Baseball, players were given pocket watches instead of rings for winning the Fall Classic. Nine decades later, Babe Ruth‘s watch from his first championship with New York is heading to auction, according to The Associated Press.
“Babe Ruth’s 1923 World Series championship pocket watch, for decades thought to be lost to history, is coming to a New York City auction, where it’s expected to fetch at least $750,000,” writes Ula Ilnytzky of the AP. “The pentagonal gold timepiece is being sold at Heritage Auction’s Feb. 22 sale.”
The watch’s immense value stems from its original owner, its association with the beginning of the Yankees dynasty, and the fact that this sort of historical relic is incredibly rare.
“A lot of items from that era were lost or discarded, so the fact that the watch reappeared … obviously is of historical significance,” Steve Costello, executive vice president of Steiner Sports collectibles in New Rochelle, N.Y, told the AP.
After winning three World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox, Ruth was a major reason why the Yankees defeated the New York Giants in the 1923 Fall Classic. He hit three of his 15 career World Series home runs in the series. Ruth also won his only American League MVP award in 1923.
Check out Ruth’s pocket watch in the photo below.
Photo via Twitter/@Region8News
