Spring Premium Live and Catalog Auction Ending May 20(1-70) and June 3
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/20/2017
2000 was an extremely exciting year for baseball fans in the Big Apple. New York’s two local baseball teams, the Yankees and the Mets, each won their respective league championships to set up a dream matchup in the World Series. It was the first postseason Subway Series since 1956 and the Yankees were in the World Series for the third consecutive year and fourth in the past five seasons. The Series featured one nail-biting game after another with the Yankees winning one-run contests in Games 1, 2 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. In game 5, the Yankees scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 4-2 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Mike Piazza dramatically faced legendary Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera representing the tying run with two outs. Piazza hit a deep fly ball to center field but it was caught in the deepest part of the park by Bernie Williams to end the game at exactly midnight. It would be the Yankees record 26th title in franchise history and it marks, to date, the last World Series with a repeat champion.
Presented here is a Balfour 14K Yankees 2000 World Series Champions Type-A ring. The face of this approximately size 10 1/2 ring has the interlocking ‘NY’ on top of a blue sapphire. The logo and sapphire are elegantly surrounded by bed of real diamonds while the ‘NY’ is also interlaced with 22 larger exquisite diamonds. Around the perimeter of the face are the words ‘2000 WORLD CHAMPIONS’ all in raised relief. One shank has the Yankee facade, above the famous Top Hat logo underscored by the fitting term “PRIDE.” The other shank contains the name “TANKEL” with “26th” imposed over a World Series trophy (again, the 26th title in Yankee franchise history) with an image of Yankee Stadium with the New York skyline in the background. The word “TRADITION” is below. The band has the manufacturer name “BALFOUR 14K” etched inside along with the recipient’s name ‘Zane Tankel.’ The ring weighs 50.9 grams and is consistent with the rings issued to the players.
It is worth noting that 2000 World Series rings are among the rarest and most sought after for Yankee collectors and is the one ring that is often missing even from advanced ring collections. Near Mint condition.