ADDENDUM: This description and images have been updated. This is Fingers' 1973 trophy. We previously sold all three as part of the Rollie Fingers Collection in 2013.
The 1973 Oakland A’s were young, brash and fearless in a way that made them impervious to succumbing to postseason pressure. Baseball fans had never seen a dynasty that looked anything like these guys, but hey, it was the 1970’s, after all, and the times they were a changin’ at a pace that would make your head spin. The 1973 World Series matched the defending champion A’s against the New York Mets with the A’s winning in seven games to repeat as World Champions. This Series was made famous when Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley attempted to “fire” secondbaseman Mike Andrews for his errors in Game 2. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn would reinstate Andrews and fine Finley. Despite the hostility of Oakland's players toward their eccentric owner, the A’s would be the first back-to-back champions since the 1961–62 New York Yankees.
Produced by Jostens, Rollie Fingers’ personal owner’s size 1973 Oakland A’s World Series trophy measures 23 inches in height and tips the scales at 25 pounds. Despite the intricate design and delicate nature of a 40-year-old trophy highlighted by the projection of 24 brass flag poles skyward, the entire trophy is in absolutely stunning condition, betraying not a whisper of wear or other discouragements and appearing in essentially as-issued and problem-free fashion.
While every player reportedly received the full-sized trophy in 1972, Finley reportedly halted the practice in 1973, instead limiting the team to World Series rings. He did provide an option for the players to purchase their own full-sized versions of the 1973 Trophy if they so chose and reportedly only a few players, Fingers included, threw down the dough to get one. Needless to say, this trophy is a monumental rarity marking the second World Series title for one of the baseball's most storied post-war dynasties. Includes LOA from Rollie Fingers.