Auction Item Details
Lot 245
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Lot Number: 245
Description: Extremely scarce Peanuts Lowery 1945 Chicago Cubs National League Championship ring. The 1945 National season was finally to be -the year+ for baseball fans on the North Side of Chicago. After besting the might St. Louis Cardinals to capture the NL pennant the Cubbies took a 2 games to 1 lead in the World Series over the Detroit Tigers with the series headed back to Chicago. It appeared as though the championship drought was about to end. Enter Mr. Williams -Billy Goat+ Sianis (Owner of Chicago+s famed Billy Goat Tavern). Sianis had purchased two tickets to Game #4 at Wrigley Field, one for himself and one for -Murphy+ his pet Billy Goat. Based on the uncomfortable -aroma+ emitted from Murphy the Wrigley Field ushers asked Sianis to leave the stadium. As legend and local lore have it, Sianis was said to have exclaimed that -The Cubs ain+t gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field.+ The rest was history as the Cubs lost 3 of the next 4 games to lose the Series and the -Curse of the Billy Goat+ was born. The offered 1945 Chicago Cubs NL Championship ring represents the first documented example to have been sold at public auction. Handsome 14K gold ring fashioned in the classic style of other 1940s era championship rings having a central inset diamond set within a red field. Diamond is surrounded by gold lettering inlaid on blue enamelwork, -National League Champions+. Side panels feature ornate baseball dÄcor with crossed bats, glove, and ball having -Cubs+ titling at top. 1945 dating is found (across both side panels, 19 and 45) near the top portion. Interior ring band is properly marked 14K with -Peanuts Lowery+ name engraved within. Overall condition is outstanding with some relatively minor surface wear predominantly to the top panel. The scarcity of war time championship rings, particularly NL or AL titles, is well established. The extreme rarity of this particular ring may well be explained by a combination of factors not limited to war time economics, low player salaries, limited desirability, and the fact that players themselves were required to purchase the rings. This factor is clearly referenced in Baseball+s Natural: The Eddie Waitkus Story by John Theodore (page 32). Here the author states that -Waitkus even owned a Cubs National League Championship ring, although he was in Japan when the Cubs were winning the pennant. Cubs Owner P.K. Wrigley had the championship ring designed especially for his players-he was proud of his team. But he was not totally benevolent; the players had to purchase the rings.+ Highly coveted vintage championship ring which ranks among the most sought after of any ring for its type of the era. Includes LOA from Hunt Auctions: EXEstimated Price Range: ($20,000-$30,000)
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