Earl Weaver Collection Too Hard to Divvy Up

Content Originally Published by Sports Collectors Daily on Tuesday, May 10th, 2011.

There are jerseys.  Championship rings.  Autographs.  Trophies.  And one very special first pitch baseball.  The Earl Weaver collection we featured in these pages a couple of weeks ago encompasses a lifetime in baseball and beyond but it's all being sold by Hunt Auctions this weekend.

The Hall of Fame manager decided to part with a large chunk of the items he's gotten over the years rather than think about how it would be divided among his children and grandchildren when the time came.

It wasn't an easy decision.

Much of the memorabilia set to be auctioned in Chicago means a lot to Weaver, one of the game's most successful managers from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s, when he seemed to always have his Baltimore Orioles in contention.

Among the most sought after memorabilia at the live auction will be Weaver’s 1966 World Series ring (Est. $15,000-$20,000), his Baseball Hall of Fame Induction ring (Est. $15,000-$20,000), 1969 Manager of the Year award (Est. $2,000-$3,000) and the first pitch baseball from Cal Ripken's record-tying consecutive games played streak (Est. $2,000-$4,000).

Weaver spoke the Associated Press about the collection and about one of the items he's hanging onto.