There will only ever be one of these: a Brooklyn Dodgers World Championship ring. Despite winning nine pennants, the Brooklyn Dodgers won it all just once, 1955. That magic summer, the pieces finally fell into place for the Dodgers; Roy Campanella won his second NL MVP Award, Don Newcombe was 20-5 on the mound, Duke Snider belted 42 home runs and first baseman Gil Hodges knocked in 102 runs as the Dodgers won 98 games. On a team that featured so many talented and charismatic stars, Gil Hodges stood out for being the quietest. Physically large and imposing – it was said he only wore a glove because the rule book said he had to – Hodges personified the “strong, silent type” of hero Gary Cooper made famous. A fixture at first base since 1948, Hodges was one of the Dodgers’ core starters whom Roger Kahn famously named the “Boys of Summer.” Gil was the team’s captain on the field and at the plate, one of the Dodgers’ big bats. His leadership in the clubhouse, 370 career home runs and eight All-Star appearances makes him a solid contender for an eventual plaque in Cooperstown. That joyous summer of ’55, Hodges batted .289 with 27 homers and a league-leading 10 sacrifice flies. But it was when the Dodgers met their eternal rivals, the New York Yankees, in the World Series that Hodges’ really showed what he was made of. In one of the most hotly contested Fall Classics, the two teams battled it out for seven games. Hodges did his part, batting .292 against the likes of Whitey Ford, Tommy Byrne and Don Larsen. In the penultimate Game 7, won by the Dodgers 2-0, Hodges was responsible for both of Brooklyn’s runs. The first was a 4th inning clutch single that drove in Campanella, and the second a sacrifice fly to center that scored Pee Wee Reese. Those were all the runs Brooklyn pitcher Johnny Podres needed, as he shutout the Yankees and won the team’s only World Championship.
This stunning ring, representing Brooklyn’s lone World Championship, was awarded to the batting hero of Game 7, Gil Hodges. The face of the 14-karat white gold ring features a diamond mounted on a diamond base placed at the center of a Dodgers blue stone. “BROOKLYN WORLD CHAMPIONS” is proclaimed in raised letters ringing the perimeter. The right shank has the iconic Dodgers logo superimposed on a raised globe with “FIRST” and “1955” surrounding it. The other shank has a raised baseball with an engraved script “Gil” in blue on the sweet spot, complete with crossed bats and the classic Brooklyn “B” logo. The inside has the 14 Karat Dieges & Clust hallmark stamped into the white gold surface. As it was Gil’s only World Championship ring until he won the 1969 Series as skipper of the Mets, the ring shows a nice amount of wear from use. However, the surface remains clean and bright and the engraving and raised letters are legible and clear. As history has shown, there will only be one Brooklyn Dodgers Championship, and only one championship ring belonging to the man who drove in all of his team’s runs in Game 7 – Gil Hodges. Weight: 36 grams. Size: 11.