October Legends and Americana Ending November 14th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/15/2015
Best known as the leading reliever on the world-champion '62 Yankees (and for being shot in the leg by a female bar patron the following spring!), Bridges broke in with the Cards in '59 and evidently either had this 10K-gold, size 10 ring, weighing 26 grams, made for himself or received it as a gift. We've never seen another '59 Cardinals team ring, and even more curiously, the distinctive design here very closely matches a 1959 Roy Sievers All-Star Game ring (auctioned back in 2011 for nearly $5,000) that, likewise, appears to have been a one-off creation. Bridges' example features a large central diamond with four smaller diamonds at each base of the green-enamel base paths. "ST. LOUIS / CARDINALS" appears above and below in blue enamel (tiny chip between the "T" and "L"), and the year "1959" resides prominently on one shank. EX-MT/NM condition. An accompanying 9/17/73 typewritten letter from Bridges' son Sylvester reads, "The undersigned, S. Bridges, does hereby acknowledge receipt of $200.00 from Michael A. Gulotta Sr. in payment ["in payment" is crossed out and replaced with "for holding"] a 1959 St. Louis Cardinal major league baseball ring."