The 1990 Cincinnati Reds were a deep, well-balanced team led by offensive stars Barry Larkin, Eric Davis and Paul O’Neill, and starting pitchers Tom Browning, Jose Rijo and Jack Armstrong. However, it was their bullpen – namely, the “Nasty Boys” trio of Rob Dibble, Randy Myers and Norm Charlton – that stole the show. Those three relievers were dominant, as Myers recorded 31 saves with a 2.08 ERA, Dibble saved 11 games with a 1.74 ERA, and Charlton won 12 games (splitting time as a starter) with a 2.74 ERA. In the postseason, the Reds beat Barry Bonds and the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS before sweeping the Oakland Athletics to win the World Series.

     Featured here is a Balfour 10K 1990 Cincinnati Reds World Series championship ring presented to Chattanooga Lookouts owner Rick Holtzman. Notably, in the June 11th, 1990 edition of Sports Illustrated, SI featured an article about Holtzman entitled "A Minor Owner in A Major Way." The Lookouts were the AA affiliate of the Reds in 1990 and each of the minor league affiliate owners were presented with championship rings. A large red stone sits behind the Reds “C” logo, made up of CZs. Appearing in relief work around the bezel setting is “CINCINNATI REDS 1990 WORLD CHAMPIONS”. An image of Riverfront Stadium appears on the left shank, below the name “HOLTZMAN”. Banners boasting “WIRE TO WIRE” are below the stadium, with “OWNER” at the bottom. The World Series Trophy appears on the other shank, marked “CINCINNATI REDS 1990 WORLD CHAMPIONS” with “9th” in the middle of the trophy, signifying the Reds total of pennant-winning seasons. “SWEEP” is displayed above the trophy, with banners bearing “C – 4” and “A – 0”. Inside the band are the Balfour and 10K marks. The size of this ring is approximately a 10 and it weighs an approximate 36.6 grams. This item comes with a LOA from Richard Schukay, who states that he obtained this ring directly from Rick Holtzman in 2003/2004.

Auction Notepad