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2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 12:24 pm
by sj-roc
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/2000-BC-LIONS-CF ... 4add43b065

Assuming this isn't some fraud artist, I wonder whose ring this is?

The seller says, "The name on the ring has been blurred out in the photos to protect the privacy and identity of the original owner." But the clues seem to point to Lui Passaglia:

(1) On the side of the ring, there's a helmet with a numeral 5 on it. What else could this signify other than LP's jersey number? I thought at first it might have stood for the team's 5th championship, but then I realised it was in fact the 4th (1964, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2011).

(2) "This Player was an All Star who made Appearences [sic] in CFL ALL STAR Games". The last two CFL all-star games were Dec 1983 and Jun 1988. Other than Lui, I can't think of anyone else on that 2000 team who would have played in an all-star game that far back.

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 8:40 pm
by notahomer
Sure is a nice ring..... Think your intuition is probably bang on. Its easy for me to say, but I can't see selling a ring considering how hard they are to get..... Then again, I realize the post-football life is one of a variety of challenges and if money is needed.......

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 9:14 pm
by Big Time
Those do not look like actual pictures of the ring but the formal pictures taken by the designer. Those pictures are way too crisp and staged to be taken by a non professional. My guess is that the seller is using the model photos and not actual photos of the ring. As such, I wouldn't put much stock in this being Lui's ring as designers will often use the ring of the most well known player on the team when staging these kinds of photos.

I recall Carl Kidd saying his 2000 ring went missing a few years ago. This could be his.

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:50 pm
by sj-roc
Big Time wrote:Those do not look like actual pictures of the ring but the formal pictures taken by the designer. Those pictures are way too crisp and staged to be taken by a non professional. My guess is that the seller is using the model photos and not actual photos of the ring. As such, I wouldn't put much stock in this being Lui's ring as designers will often use the ring of the most well known player on the team when staging these kinds of photos.

I recall Carl Kidd saying his 2000 ring went missing a few years ago. This could be his.
That might be so for some of the photos, but there's some noticeable wear/tarnish between the 10K and IGO (whatever that means) markings on the inside bottom on the two photos where these are visible, so I'm not sure these would be from a pro shoot.

FWIW, from a google image search of "2000 grey cup ring", the player whose ring comes up most often is Robert Drummond (who was a league all-star in 1996 and 1997 with Toronto, so maybe the seller erroneously assumed he played in all-star games those years?). In fact it's the only name that seems to come up at all and it looks like his name and #29 might fit under the green erasures. The "5" on the other side might not be for jersey number if it's already there on the same side with the player's name, but I'm not sure what else it would mean.

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:43 am
by Robbie
Well Lui Passaglia seems to be well attached to his three Grey Cup rings he won as a player:
Image

And for an extreme closeup of his three rings as well as his face: http://postmediaprovince.files.wordpres ... 11/lui.jpg
I wonder if anyone has used his face as their wallpaper.
sj-roc wrote:FWIW, from a google image search of "2000 grey cup ring", the player whose ring comes up most often is Robert Drummond (who was a league all-star in 1996 and 1997 with Toronto, so maybe the seller erroneously assumed he played in all-star games those years?). In fact it's the only name that seems to come up at all and it looks like his name and #29 might fit under the green erasures. The "5" on the other side might not be for jersey number if it's already there on the same side with the player's name, but I'm not sure what else it would mean.
Since Robert Drummond won the MVP award as well, I'm sure his ring would be especially sentimental. But then again, maybe not since he didn't appear to be completely appreciated during his time as a Lion and if here's any kind of discussion on the best and favourite Lions running backs/fullbacks, Drummond would never make it into such discussions.

Here's a possible explanation:
The seller made a customized order from this site: http://www.bingringbling.com/ProductView.asp?ID=646
ImageImage

at a cost of the specified $199.98 + $29.00 for = $228.98 and is now attempting to make a huge profit of over $9000 by trying to re-sell it for over $9500.

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 8:15 am
by D
sj-roc wrote: (1) On the side of the ring, there's a helmet with a numeral 5 on it. What else could this signify other than LP's jersey number? I thought at first it might have stood for the team's 5th championship, but then I realised it was in fact the 4th (1964, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2011).
2000 was Lui's last season so the 5 on the helmet is a tribute to his 25 seasons as a Lion and the fact that he is the best kicker EVER :beauty:

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:50 pm
by Robbie
This recent article by Mike Beamish has set the record straight with regards to that 2000 Grey Cup ring on eBay. Mike specifically asked Lui in an interview about that ring, and we now know that it was NOT Lui who sold that ring on eBay and at the same time, he doesn't pass judgment. That makes him a true gentleman. :thup:

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/foot ... story.html
Q: You won four Grey Cup rings with the Lions, three as a player (1985, 1994 and 2000). And another as director of community relations (2006). On eBay this month a member of the Lions’ 2000 championship team has a “pre-owned” Grey Cup ring up for auction. How do you feel about that?

A: I don’t pass judgment. I don’t know about somebody’s personal circumstances. If everything was equal, I wouldn’t do it. But you never know where you’ll find yourself in life. Whether a guy is hurting, financially or emotionally, there might be a multitude of reasons. It’s not the situation I’m in today. I have mine (rings) in a safety deposit box for my four kids (Leah, Lauren, Christopher and Colby). They’re there for my kids to remember when their dad won the Grey Cup. Maybe it’ll pique their interest in learning more about the history of the game. Maybe my grandchildren will want to do that, too. My parents (Loris and Natalina) are 85 and 86, Italian immigrants who taught us to appreciate being in this country and having the opportunities that we do. I think I’ve learned to appreciate what I have even more.

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:53 pm
by sj-roc
Robbie wrote:This recent article by Mike Beamish has set the record straight with regards to that 2000 Grey Cup ring on eBay. Mike specifically asked Lui in an interview about that ring, and we now know that it was NOT Lui who sold that ring on eBay and at the same time, he doesn't pass judgment. That makes him a true gentleman. :thup:

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/foot ... story.html
Q: You won four Grey Cup rings with the Lions, three as a player (1985, 1994 and 2000). And another as director of community relations (2006). On eBay this month a member of the Lions’ 2000 championship team has a “pre-owned” Grey Cup ring up for auction. How do you feel about that?

A: I don’t pass judgment. I don’t know about somebody’s personal circumstances. If everything was equal, I wouldn’t do it. But you never know where you’ll find yourself in life. Whether a guy is hurting, financially or emotionally, there might be a multitude of reasons. It’s not the situation I’m in today. I have mine (rings) in a safety deposit box for my four kids (Leah, Lauren, Christopher and Colby). They’re there for my kids to remember when their dad won the Grey Cup. Maybe it’ll pique their interest in learning more about the history of the game. Maybe my grandchildren will want to do that, too. My parents (Loris and Natalina) are 85 and 86, Italian immigrants who taught us to appreciate being in this country and having the opportunities that we do. I think I’ve learned to appreciate what I have even more.
Hmm. Beamish reads this board and has even posted here occasionally. Wonder if this thread was what drew his attention to that? No matter. Anyway, the topic of players selling their rings has come up on here before; my comment from a 2008 thread six years ago about a 2006 Grey Cup ring that surfaced on eBay was basically in the same spirit as what Lui is saying now:
sj-roc wrote:I don't see any reason to get one's back up over players selling their hardware. I suppose I'd sympathise if they're doing it out of financial necessity, but players are so surrounded by the trappings of athletic stardom, who could blame them if they simply don't look at it in awe?

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 12:38 pm
by sj-roc
CTV News had a report on this ring last week with video and comments from Daved Benefield and a local sports memorabilia dealer. Benefield is fairly adamant about never wanting to sell his own ring but like Lui holds no grudge against the selling player.

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/yours-for-9-975-bc ... -1.2135260
Yours for $9,975: BC Lions Grey Cup ring on eBay

CTV Vancouver
Published Friday, December 5, 2014 2:47PM PST
Last Updated Friday, December 5, 2014 7:31PM PST

Winning the Grey Cup can be a priceless experience, but one former BC Lions player has put a dollar figure on his championship ring.

A 2000 BC Lions Grey Cup ring from an unidentified player has been listed on eBay for just under $10,000.

The ring is from the 88th Grey Cup, held 14 years ago in Calgary. Led by quarterback Damon Allen, the Lions defeated the Montreal Alouettes.

The seller won't say which player originally owned the ring, but does claim it's a former all-star.

David Benefield, a former Lion who played in the CFL for 13 seasons, was part of that same 2000 championship, and credits the win as the pinnacle of his career.

He has the very same ring that’s for sale on eBay and would never consider selling it.

“It’s invaluable,” he said.

“It’s not just the physical value of the diamonds and the silver. It’s the memento of a professional athlete’s greatest moment of winning a championship.

“I never thought I’d ever want to lose touch with it,” he told CTV News.

But while Benefield would never part with his ring, he admits he understands why others might have to.

“It’s a bit of a shame that a professional player has to pawn his ring on eBay, yet it speaks to economic reality right now,” he said.

CFL players don’t make the millions like their NFL counterparts and some players who come from the U.S. don’t have a connection to the Canadian Football League.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson

Re: 2000 Grey Cup ring (Lui's?) for sale on eBay

Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:50 pm
by Toppy Vann
Benefield is gainfully employed as well as his wife. Daved is a Sales Representative at Bartle & Gibson.

I agree with Benefield and Lui - they don't pass judgment as not every member of even a championship team is going to have special memories or don't end up needing cash. Or some just want the memories and don't care to have the trophy or emblem like a ring as that is not that important to them.