Sotheby's/SCP to Auction L.A. Lakers Nine Championship Rings on June 10, 2005

The nine championship rings from every Los Angeles Lakers championship to date have been added to the list of more than 350 lots of important sports memorabilia and cards available to be auctioned on Friday, June 10th, by Sotheby's/SCP. The unique feature about these rings is that the one winning bidder will be able to have his or her name engraved on all nine rings! The proceeds from the sale of the rings will be donated to the Los Angeles Laker's Youth Foundation. The group of nine championship rings is expected to sell in excess of $100,000.

Jerry Buss' Laker rings will be on display in Los Angeles at the 2nd Annual Los Angeles Lakers Casino Night sponsored by Treasure Island, Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. For more information on the Casino Night, call 310-426-6031.

The preeminent basketball franchise, the Lakers, won world titles in 1972, '80, '82, '85, '87, '88, 2000-02 with such players as Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Jerry West is the only Laker to own all nine rings.

The 1972 ring commemorates the Lakers winning an NBA record 33 straight games and a then-best 69 regular season victories. The 1985 ring celebrates the Lakers first championship over the vaunted Boston Celtics, while the 2001 ring venerates the Lakers historical 15-1 postseason record.

Among the other items for sale is a trove of Red Sox memorabilia, including the most important document in sports history, the 1919 contract selling Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees (expected to bring more than half a million dollars).

"A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity for one Laker fan to own the ultimate prize -- all nine Laker championship rings with your name on each of them!" said David Kohler, President of SCP.

"Sotheby's is honored to be working with the Laker Youth Foundation to benefit such a great cause, and to be able to offer such a spectacular group of rings from one of the most prestigious organizations in sports, the Los Angeles Lakers," said Leila Dunbar, Sotheby's Senior Vice-President.

The Catalogue

The catalogue can be pre-purchased and will be available to the public on May 10th by logging on to www.sothebys.com or by calling (888) 752 0002. Catalogues are also available for purchase in Sotheby's galleries in New York and London. The price for the catalogue is $36 including shipping and handling.

Registering to Bid

Registration is required to bid in Sotheby's auctions. You can register easily in person at our New York headquarters any time before the sale, or via fax when you submit an absentee bid form. Please call the Bid Department at (212) 606 7414 for further information.

Placing Bids
There are four ways to bid in this sale:
-- Bid through the Internet using real-time and absentee bidding at ebayliveauctions.com, beginning on May 10th. You can register there to place bids through eBay's Live Auctions tool. You may also download an absentee bid form from sothebys.com. Note that online registration only enables you to bid online.

-- Place bids in the room by attending the auction and raising your paddle (issued upon registration).

-- Bid over the telephone through a Sotheby's representative, who sits in the room and conveys your bid to the auctioneer. Phone bidding is best when you have not set a limit for an item and want to pursue it until it's yours.

-- Enter Absentee bids. An Absentee (or Order) bid is a form you fill out and return to Sotheby's bid department via fax or mail. The form indicates the highest amount you would like to bid for an item or items. (The auctioneer will submit bids on your behalf as necessary, up to -- but never above -- the amount you specify.) Absentee bid forms are printed in the back of each catalogue, and are available at Sotheby's offices and on our website at www.sothebys.com.

Source: SportsCards Plus, Inc.
Date: April 12, 2005

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