It’s fitting that Babe Ruth, the most famous player in baseball history, was the first to be honored with a sports ring. Beginning in 1934, Babe’s final season with the New York Yankees, Muffets Whole Wheat Biscuits, made by Quaker, featured Babe’s smiling face in all of its advertising, which had Ruth offering free baseball gifts in exchange for box panels from the cereal. Among the gifts were baseballs, baseball caps, watch fobs, charm bracelets, and of course, the ring. In the ad, Ruth said, "You can have these swell baseball gifts absolutely FREE. Just pick out the ones you want and send me the coupon below with box panels from Muffets Whole Wheat Biscuits. Don’t wait. ACT NOW!"

The promotion obviously worked very well for Muffets, since the company continued offering the gifts in 1935 and 1936. So well, in fact, that other Quaker companies such as Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice began offering the ring and other baseball gifts with box tops from its cereals. Unfortunately, the gold plated ring was generic in nature, with no mention of Ruth anywhere to be found. Pictured elsewhere in the Overstreet Toy Ring Price Guide, the ring has a baseball on the front and an embossed glove between crossed bats on each side. The same model ring with various team names etched on the baseballs were sold at ballparks throughout America. The only known Major League rings bear the names of the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers, New York’s three Major League teams at the time. The rings with the team designations are more valuable than the Ruth ring because so many less were manufactured. There’s no doubt, however, that if "The Sultan of Swat"’s name appeared on the original ring, it would really command top dollar.

While Babe Ruth was winding up his fabulous career in the mid-1930s, Dizzy Dean, right-hand pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, was at his peak, and rivaled Ruth as baseball’s greatest attraction and most colorful and popular player. Naturally, he was highly sought after by various commercial sponsors to endorse their products. Dizzy led National League pitchers in wins in both ‘34 and ‘35, with 30 and 29 respectively, and guided the Cardinals to the World Series Championship on 1934. In conjunction with Post’s Grapenuts, another popular breakfast cereal, youngsters across America competed for prizes such as tie-bars, pins, and rings, along with the designation "Dizzy Dean Winners." The Dizzy Dean ring was considered the ultimate prize. Unlike the Ruth generic ring, Dizzy’s contained a likeness of the Cardinals ace and comes with both a round front and a square front. The Dean ring is considerably harder to find than the Ruth ring and commands more money.

In 1939, baseball celebrated its Centennial year, and the fictional radio hero, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, helped honor America’s National Game with a premium ring available through his sponsor, Wheaties, a cereal product of General Mills. As you can see, three different cereal giants—Quaker, Post, and General Mills—all got involved in baseball promotions featuring rings among the top prizes. The Jack Armstrong Baseball Centennial ring is the rarest of the baseball rings, bringing nearly $1,000 in mint condition.

Although Jack Armstrong was a fictional radio character, millions of kids thrilled to his adventures every bit as much as they would thrill to the exploits of a baseball superstar such as the Yankees’ Joe DiMaggio, who followed Babe Ruth as New York’s marquee player. By the early 1940s, Joe was recognized as one of the game’s greats, and members of the Joe DiMaggio Fan Club could proudly display their loyalty to their hero by wearing the Joe DiMaggio ring. It shows the Yankee slugger in a full-length pose, swinging away.

During the 1940s, the competition for the title of the American League’s best hitter was between DiMaggio and Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. Both were outstanding and each had many supporters who felt their hero was the best. In 1941 for example, DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consecutive games, a feat which has never been equaled. That same year, Williams led American League hitters with a .406 batting average, the last player to reach the elusive .400 mark. Fabulous is the word for both players. Ted was honored with a ring of his own, in conjunction with a promotion by another cereal, Nabisco Shredded Wheat. This ring, part metal, part plastic, is the most unique of all. On top of the gold-colored metal base is a plastic figure of Williams along with a plastic baseball sitting atop a metal wire. A small lever enables you to move the figure so it makes contact with the ball. Unfortunately, many overzealous youngsters playing with the ring knocked the ball off the wire, so very few remain in pristine condition. It was also easy to break the plastic figure of Williams, further diminishing the mint supply. Consequently, expect to pay close to $1,000 for one in superb condition.

Another unique ring, the one which actually got me started collecting these toy gems, is the Andy Pafko Scorekeeper ring, put out by Muffets in 1949. I found mine in a Hagerstown, Maryland antique shop about fifteen years ago for only $20, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Pafko was the "hitting and fielding star of the Chicago Cubs," as the promotional advertising for Muffets pointed out. The ring originally cost 15¢ plus the blue top from a package of Muffets, and the offer expired on September 15, 1949. A fine all-around player who batted .285 over 17 seasons, Pafko was undoubtedly selected by Muffets on the strength of his 1948 season with the Cubs, when he batted .312 and drove in 101 runs, leading the Cubs in both departments. In addition, he led all National League third basemen in assists with 314, and double plays with 29. Muffets put him in very select company when he became only the second player Muffets honored with a ring, the immortal Babe Ruth being the other. Today the original 15¢ investment plus Muffets box top is worth over $100.

Finally, the Bakelite Baseball Mystery ring could be the rarest of all. Featuring an unidentified ball player on a black bakelite ring with a white stripe surrounding the picture, the ring was most likely manufactured in the 1920s or early ‘30s. It could be part of a series, or may simply be a one-of-a-kind. The player would have to have some prominence, because it’s unlikely any company would make a ring of an unknown player. Hopefully, some of you readers can clear up this mystery by identifying the player. If you know who he is, let me know by writing Ron Menchine, P.O. Box 1, Long Green, Maryland 21092.

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