Charlie Sheen Owner Of Ruth Memorabilia Up For Auction
(CBS SF/AP) - Charlie Sheen hasn't portrayed Babe Ruth in a film, but the actor was the owner of two of the most prized items of Ruth memorabilia.
Sheen on Monday revealed himself as the owner of Ruth's 1927 World Series ring and the 1919 contract of Ruth's sale from the Red Sox to the Yankees which are part of the first Lelands.com Invitational Auction, which ends on Friday.
"While I have greatly enjoyed owning them, I thought now was the right time to sell the Holy Grail of Ruth memorabilia so others can enjoy them," Sheen said in a statement. "It is my hope that whoever buys these will be able to put them on display for the public."
Ruth's ring, which is for the first of four titles he won with the Yankees, has the highest price of all the auction's items. It started with an opening bid of $100,000 and was up to $555,991 as of Monday.
That season Ruth had one of the greatest years in baseball history with a .356 batting average, 60 home runs and 156 RBIs. He went 6 for 15 in the World Series sweep against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with two home runs and seven RBIs.
The five-page contract is the Yankees' copy that Barry Halper once purchased from former owner Jacob Ruppert's estate. It is considered the most important document in sports history. Not only did it start the Yankees on a path of winning 27 World Series titles — including four with Ruth — but it doomed generations of Red Sox players and fans under "the curse of the Bambino." The curse wasn't lifted until 2004, when Boston won its first World Series in 86 years.
That Ruppert copy was sold to Sheen in 2005 and hasn't changed hands until now. It also started at $100,000 and is up to $379,749.
There were three copies of the Ruth contract. The Red Sox copy was sold for $996,000 to a Yankees fan during an auction at Sotheby's in 2005. The American League copy has never surfaced.
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