Before the “Curse Breaker: The Collection of Larry Lucchino” auction hosted by Bonhams Skinner, Robin Starr, the general manager of the Massachusetts auction house, predicted that “it’s going to take a lot of bank” to win the sale’s biggest prize — the 2004 World Series championship trophy.
And that’s exactly what happened.
In all, the auction generated $740,000 with proceeds going to charity.
The Commissioner’s Trophy awarded to the Boston Red Sox, which ended the 86-year-old “Curse of the Bambino,” pulled in the most money during the sale. The crown jewel of the 200 pieces of memorabilia from the collection of the late Larry Lucchino — who oversaw three of Boston’s World Series titles during the 21st century as president and CEO of the franchise — sold for $165,600 when the final gavel fell on Dec. 4.
That was four times the estimated price and included the buyer’s premium.
Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Lucchino Family Foundation. Lucchino, who died in April at the age of 78, was a philanthropist and collector.
It was one of two items from the memorable 2004 season of the Red Sox to sell for six figures. The other was Lucchino’s 2004 World Series ring, which sold for $102,100 including the buyer’s premium. That was double the expected price.
The “Curse Breaker” auction also included another item from the 2004 postseason — the third base bag used in Game 4 of the World Series, when the Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to become champions of the baseball world for the first time since 1918. That team had a left-handed pitcher named Babe Ruth, who turned out to be quite a great hitter, too.
The third base bag was used at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis on Oct. 27, 2004, when Boston completed the series sweep with a 3-0 victory against St. Louis.
It sold for $70,350, or nearly three times its estimated projection.
Commissioner’s trophies from Boston’s championships in 2007, 2013 and 2018 exceeded expectations in bidding. The 2013 trophy sold for $61,440, while the 2007 and 2018 hardware fetched $46,080 apiece.
Each trophy sold for more than two times its estimated value.
“The iconic objects in Larry Lucchino’s collection reflect not only the rich history of the Red Sox, but also his unmatched personal impact on the franchise. It was truly a privilege to help share these incredible artifacts with fans and collectors alike,” Starr said in a news release. “Larry’s legacy was also one of generosity and so we are thrilled that proceeds will benefit his foundation.”
Lucchino, a three-time cancer survivor, was a chairman for the Boston-based Jimmy Fund during the last eight years of his life. Through his efforts, the Jimmy Fund — the favorite charity of Hall of Famer Ted Williams — raised more than $167 million for cancer treatment and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Lucchino owned five World Series rings. In addition to the 2004, ’07 and ’13 jewelry, he also was awarded a ring for his role as an emeritus executive, a position given to him in 2015 — after the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series. While with the Sox in an active role, Lucchino helped found the Red Sox Foundation and was the driving force behind the renovation of Fenway Park.
Lucchino earned his first World Series ring when the Baltimore Orioles won the 1983 World Series and was the team president from 1988 to 1993.
He also earned a Super Bowl ring when Washington won Super Bowl XVII in 1983 and was awarded a Final Four watch with Princeton in 1965.
Lucchino was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2016.
