The allure of being the only New York Rangers player championship ring ever to hit public auction resulted in a massive sale at Classic Auctions on Tuesday night.
The 1994 Stanley Cup ring of forward Esa Tikkanen, from the Rangers' first title in 54 seasons, sold for $139,444.
Tikkanen was a key player on the team, one of seven Rangers who scored more than 20 goals on the season and racked up more than 50 points.
The value of the ring is all about scarcity.
Tikkanen sold four of his five other rings. His 1987 and 1988 Oilers ring sold for $40,388 each. His 1990 Oilers ring sold for $44,428.
But the Rangers one was the prize. New York has only won three Stanley Cups despite playing in the NHL for nearly 100 years: 1933, 1940 and 1994.
No authentic rings have sold from the 1933 or 1940 teams. Rangers center Cliff Smith’s ring from the 1940 sold for $6,600 in 2017, but it was a commemorative ring given to Smith by the Rangers in 1990 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the title.
The sale of the Rangers ring comes only four months after the all-time record for Stanley Cup rings was set.
Heritage recently sold two of Mike Bossy’s four New York Islanders championship rings. The 1981 ring sold for $228,000, and the 1980 ring sold for $220,000.
For a while, the record-holder was a 1990 Oilers ring from its former owner Peter Pocklington. That ring was sold by Classic for $72,151 in 2009.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.