In April 2017, jewelry and memorabilia maker Jostens began selling Chicago Cubs fan rings celebrating the 2016 World Series title.
Most of it was at the low end with rings made out silver with cubic zirconia gems for $299. But for $10,800, there were 108 rings that were as close to the real deal as possible. Although they were 30% smaller, those rings featured white gold, 144 diamonds, 55 sapphires and 13 rubies.
This weekend, one of those rings sold for a whopping $50,020 at Heritage Auctions.
How could a fan ring appreciate in value like that? Well, the consignor has the Cubs to thank.
Soon after Jostens started selling the rings to fans, it was reported that the team made executives sign a document pledging the Cubs would get first right of refusal for $1 if they wanted to sell the rings.
Not only did team owner Tom Ricketts pay for the rings, he also paid for the taxes on the rings that the receiver would be responsible for.
That meant the lower-end team rings weren’t going to come to the market. The players weren’t bound by the no-sell agreement, but it could be assumed that not many would hit the market.
In 2017, a scout tried to auction off his ring to no avail. In 2021, Ben Zobrist’s ring appeared to be listed at auction, but Jostens later sued a collector, saying it was Zobrist’s sample that was stolen.
A friends and family version of Aroldis Chapman’s ring — which is essentially the fan ring with Chapman’s name — sold for $30,949 at Lelands in 2023.
The $50,020 price is a record price for a non-players ring.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.