Will a Ben Zobrist World Series ring be auctioned? Agent says ‘He’s not selling it’
Ben Zobrist pulled off a rare feat a few years ago by winning a World Series title with two different teams in consecutive years.
That’s not unheard of, but Zobrist helped end two long droughts for fans of the franchises.
In 2015, Zobrist hit .261 with four doubles as the Royals beat the Mets in five games and won their first World Series in 30 years.
Zobrist left KC as a free agent and signed with the Cubs, who then ended 108 years of misery for fans on the North Side of Chicago. Zobrist was the MVP of the 2016 World Series after batting .357 against Cleveland.
The ring Zobrist received for helping the Cubs end their century-long frustration could be in the hands of a Chicago fan this year.
Heritage Auctions said Friday that Zobrist’s ring was going up for auction, the first Cubs player to make his available. But on Saturday morning, Zobrist’s agent told the Chicago Tribune that wasn’t the case.
Robert Wilonsky, the communications director for Heritage Auctions, said the ring had previously been sold by Zobrist.
“The ring was consigned by somebody who says he bought it from Ben Zobrist,” Wilonsky said. “I don’t know when and I don’t know for how much. I’ll certainly learn those things over the next little while. But the consigner is a client of Heritage’s who is a collector of championship hardware. Not somebody whose name you necessarily know but somebody who does collect title rings, bracelets and things like that.
“This is someone who has great familiarity with and affection for these kinds of items.”
Zobrist’s agent, Scott Pucino, said his client was surprised to hear about the ring.
“He’s not selling it,” Pucino said. “I had a conversation with him twice — one late (Friday) night and one early in the afternoon.
“I said, ‘Are you sure you’re not selling it?’ He said ‘No, it makes no sense. Why would I sell this ring? It makes no sense. I’m never going to get rid of this ring — never, never, ever.’”
When the Cubs received their rings in 2017, SB Nation reported they were worth more than $70,000. That site said the rings are 14-karat white gold with 108 white diamonds (to commemorate the World Series drought) and the “Cubs” in the ring is made of rubies. There also are more white diamonds along with blue sapphires.
Wilonsky said the auction should begin in late July and will be extended bidding. People interested in the ring will need to bid on the item by no later than Aug. 21 or Aug. 22 depending on when the auction begins.
Other items expected to be part of that auction are a Babe Ruth game-used bat, a contract signed by Ruth and a championship league ring given to Mickey Mantle.
If you want to keep tabs on the ring, it should soon pop up on the Heritage Auctions website.
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 2:40 PM.
