A 1951 World Series ring with Joe DiMaggio’s name etched inside is up for sale.
But the ring, with an estimated price of $50,000 to $100,000, comes with a controversy more complicated than the infield-fly rule.
Sports-memorabilia auctioneer David Hunt says the ring has been held for decades by the family of an executive of the Dieges & Clust jewelry company.
According to one story, DiMaggio — who had several other Yankee World Series rings — passed on the first design of this particular ring. “Joe told the salesman, ‘I want something else,’ ” said Hunt.
Hunt won’t identify the ring’s current owners.
Then there’s the possibility the ring was stolen.
Morris Engelberg, DiMaggio’s lawyer and friend, suspects the 1951 ring is one of several heisted from DiMaggio’s room at the Lexington Hotel in the early 1960s. The ring is up for sale now on Hunt Auctions’ Web site; bidding closes Nov. 9.