Few pitchers dominated the National League in the 1930’s like Carl Hubbell. One of baseball’s greatest ever southpaws, “The Meal Ticket” was known for his nasty screwball, which he used in the 1934 All-Star Game to famously strike out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in succession. Hubbell played his entire 16-year career (1928-43) with the New York Giants and finished with a 253-154 lifetime record and sub-3.00 ERA over nearly 3,600 innings pitched. He was the ace of a tremendous ballclub orchestrated by legendary skipper John McGraw, later carried forth by player managers Bill Terry and Mel Ott. Before the Cy Young was awarded, Hubbell won two NL MVP awards (1933 and ’36) and led his team to three pennants and one World Series title in 1933. In that Fall Classic against the Senators, “King Carl” had two complete-game victories (20 innings combined) and did not allow a single earned run, cementing his legend on the diamond.

Hubbell did not wait long to be honored in Cooperstown following his retirement. The memorable day came in 1947 and he was presented with this 10-karat gold National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ring. The top features a baseball mounted on a black stone surrounded by "BASEBALL HALL OF FAME" in large, raised letters. The left shank has “HUBBELL” engraved above a baseball and crossed bats with “ELECTED 1947” at the bottom. The right shank has “PITCHER” engraved above the façade of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The size 11.25 ring (30 g) is stamped “LGB 10K” inside the band. The ring shows moderate wear from use and age, with an almost invisible crack on the black stone (we had to use a magnifying loop to see it). Induction rings of such prestigious Hall of Famers rarely come up for auction, and this one hails from arguably the Giants’ greatest hurler in franchise history. It is certainly one of the most treasured artifacts from Hubbell’s personal collection. Includes letter of provenance from the Hubbell family.