Babe Ruth's 1923 World Series championship pocket watch, for decades thought to be lost to history, will be auctioned in New York and is expected to fetch at least $US750,000 ($A858,000).
Ruth batted .368 and hit three homers in the 1923 decider as the Yankees beat the New York Giants in six games. That year, they moved into Yankee Stadium and won their first of 27 World Series.
The pentagonal gold timepiece is being sold at Heritage Auction's February 22 sale.
"It was the beginning of what's become the most dominant dynasty in American sports," said Heritage director Chris Ivy. "It changed the culture and Babe Ruth's the ultimate leader of that team."
At the time, winning players received watches, later replaced by the still-standard rings.
"No one knew where the piece had been. No one has ever seen it for public sale or public auction," said Ivy. "The fact that there was no news about it for so many decades, it was just thought that at some point it had been lost to time."
The 14-karat gold timepiece remained with Ruth until shortly before his death from cancer in 1948.
He asked close friend Charles Schwefel what he would like from his collection. The Manhattan hotelier, who shared Ruth's passion for helping disadvantaged youth, asked for the watch.
Schwefel kept it for two years until his wife gave it to Lewis Fern, her nephew and Ruth's frequent golf caddy. Fern retained it for decades until selling privately in 1988 to the current owner, a major sports collector who kept it in a safe deposit box.
"A lot of items from that era were lost or discarded, so the fact that the watch reappeared ... obviously is of historical significance," said Steve Costello of Steiner Sports collectibles.
The present owner, who remained anonymous, said through Heritage he acquired the watch for around $US200,000 ($A229,000) and was parting with it to fund charitable organisations.
Ivy said bidding for the watch could easily reach seven figures, "being that it's the first championship hardware that Ruth won".
Ruth had his name engraved on it and added a special inscription, "To My Pal Charles Schwefel".
The Gruen Verithin watch also is engraved with a pitcher, hitter, catcher, a ball in flight and the words "Yankees" and "World Champions 1923".
Babe Ruth's 1927 World Series championship ring sold for $US250,000 ($A286,000) in the 1990s.
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