Babe Ruth 100th Anniversary Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2014
Presented is the first known example of a 1914 World Series ring from the Miracle Braves team of 1914. This ring was presented and worn by Hall of Famer shortstop Rabbit Maranville, who was a young 22 year old that year, the second of his then record 23 National League seasons. They were known as the Miracle Braves due to their last place record on July 4th that year, but then going on a 70-19 run to win the league by a stunning 10.5 games. The Miracle Braves would then sweep the mighty Philadelphia A’s four straight games to capture the World Series.
It was originally thought World Series rings were not officially presented until 1922, when the New York Giants gave rings to their players for beating the New York Yankees. For several decades this ring was the only known example of a 1914 Miracle Braves ring, then a 1914 Johnny Evers ring surfaced in 2011, in exactly the same design as the Maranville ring (except the Evers ring had a diamond whereas the Maranville ring contains a brown stone). And both rings entered the hobby with tremendous family provenance.
It must be stated Maranville and Evers are the only two Hall of Famers from that 1914 team, with Evers in the last full season of his career and Maranville only in his second season. It does interest us the only two rings, looking exactly similar (except for the stone), were of the only two major stars for that team, the dynamic up the middle double play combination. Were rings made for each player on that team, or were players offered a choice of victorious gifts, allowing for Evers and Maranville to choose rings while the others declined? In that era, it wasn’t considered “manly” for a gentleman to wear a ring – even if that ring was earned as part of a World Championship. Whatever you believe in regards to the original presentation of the two known 1914 Miracle Braves rings, this is the ring once presented to Boston Braves Hall of Fame shortstop Rabbit Maranville.
The ring is size 7 and made of 13 K gold with the face featuring a brown stone set in the center of a baseball-diamond design. The stone itself is chipped, enforcing the pride which Rabbit gave the ring from his daily wearing. Surrounding the stone is “1914 World’s Champions” in a raised setting. It is simply the one of the earliest known World Series rings in existence, and presents very well.
Provenance:
Maranville gave the ring to his great-nephew Thomas J. Stapleton, who then sold it to famed collector Barry Halper. The ring was then sold in the Sotheby’s 1999 Barry Halper auction as Lot 1841. Over the years, the value of World Championship rings from all sports have skyrocketed, and the Johnny Evers ring from the same Miracle Braves team sold for over $50,000 in 2011. This magnificent ring comes with a notarized LOA from Barry Halper from that 1999 Sotheby’s sale and a signed note on an index card from Maranville great-nephew Thomas Stapleton. In addition, there is an LOA from Leland’s in that 2007 sale.