Mid-Summer Classic Auction 2013

This is Bill Russell's 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Championship trophy presented to the All-Star shortstop after the club's 4 games to 2 defeat of the arch-rival New York Yankees. Russell was a vital cog in a string of championship Dodgers squads throughout the 1970's and into the early 1980's, batting .263 lifetime in a sterling 18-year campaign spent entirely at Chavez Ravine. He was part of the great Dodger infield of Cey, Russell, Lopes and Garvey that stayed intact a major league record 8 1/2 seasons. Produced by Balfour, the player's trophy measures 12 inches in height and features 26 gold-colored pennants (bearing the team name of each major league franchise) displayed around the perimeter of a black Lucite base. At center is a silver metal baseball set within a gold band roughly 5 inches in diameter, atop which rests a crown. Displayed directly in front of this are the 1981 World Series press pins for the Yankees and Dodgers. A brass band on the base reads, “Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship Trophy Presented by The Commissioner of Baseball October 28, 1981 Bill Russell” in black lettering on the front. This is an enormously important trophy belonging to one of the key players commemorating the Dodgers first World Series title since 1965. All elements of the trophy appear to be in pristine and essentially as-issued and problem-free condition. LOA from Bill Russell.