1943 New York Yankees World Championship Ring Presented to Pitcher Charley Wensloff....

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The rarest of all Yankees World Championship awards!

1943 New York Yankees World Championship Ring Presented to Pitcher Charley Wensloff. The most successful franchise in Major League Baseball history has claimed twenty-seven World Championships to date, and this is the scarcest of all awards commemorating pinstriped glory. There's little question but that the Second World War is to blame for the scarcity--we'd suspect that the rationing that affected many varieties of consumer goods during the war years limited initial production, and that other rings were soon melted down, harvested for the cash value in the gold and diamond components. This is pure speculation, but the presence of just a single 1943 Yankees ring from two decades of major auction results is strong evidence that some limiting factors were in play.

This example comes to us from the family of rookie right-hander Charley Wensloff, a five-year veteran of the Yankees farm system before the talent drain of the Second World War precipitated his ascent to the Bronx. After a slow start in the Bigs, Wensloff would find his stride, finishing thirteen and eleven with an impressive 2.54 ERA in 223.1 innings of work.

Once again, the esteemed jewelers Dieges & Clust remained faithful to its time-tested Yankee design, the same format utilized exclusively between 1932 and 1947. A large diamond is inset at the center of a silver figural baseball diamond on the face, with "New York Yankees World Champions" standing in raised lettering at the perimeter (though proud wear has smoothed the detailing beyond legibility). Matching shanks feature an eagle in flight with text announcing "New York" and "1943," but again these details have been eroded by years of wear. Engraving at interior band remains readily legible however, reading, "Presented by Baseball Commissioner to Charles Wensloff" beside the "D&C 14K" maker's mark. Band measures to a size eleven and a half (11.5).

Weight is twenty-seven grams (27 g.). Original Dieges & Clust ring box is included. Letter of provenance from grandson of Charley Wensloff.