Charlie Sheen Puts Babe Ruth World Series Ring, Sales Contract Up For Auction
NEW YORK (CBSnewYork) -- Actor Charlie Sheen revealed Monday that he has owned two prized pieces of Babe Ruth memorabilia for more than 20 years, items now up for auction.
Sheen is selling Ruth's 1927 World Series ring and an original copy of the contract that sent Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees in 1919, ESPN reported.
As of Monday afternoon, the bid on the ring had reached $505,446, and the contract was up to $345,226. Bidding runs through 9 p.m. Friday on Lelands.com.
"I've enjoyed these incredible items for more than two decades and the time has come," Sheen told ESPN. "Whatever price it brings is gravy."
The "Major League" and "Two and a Half Men" star said he bought the items in the early 1990s and has displayed them -- carefully framed -- in the bar area of his home. Sheen said he doesn't remember what he paid for the items, but said he will undoubtedly see a profit.
In a deal that dramatically altered the course of both franchises, Ruth was sold from Boston to the Yankees on Dec. 26, 1919, for $100,000. With Ruth, the Yankees played in seven World Series from 1921-32, winning the first four world championships in franchise history -- the Yankees now have won 27 titles.
The Red Sox had won three World Series with Ruth, but after he was sent to the Yankees, they went 86 years between championships, a drought famously blamed on the "Curse of the Bambino."
Led by Ruth and Lou Gehrig, the 1927 Yankees are considered one of the best in baseball history. They swept the Pirates in the World Series that year. Ruth hit 60 home runs in 1927, setting a major league record that would stand until the Yankees' Roger Maris broke it in 1961.
