Nearly 55 years ago, Sal Durante caught Roger Maris’ record-setting 61st home run. The 19-year-old would sell the ball for $5000 to a restaurant owner who, in turn, returned it to the New York Yankees slugger.
Now, that ball (and the bat Maris used to hit it) resides in the Hall of Fame.
Two items of Maris’ that never made it to Cooperstown…his 1960 American League MVP plaque and the S. Rae Hickok belt he won a year later after besting Babe Ruth’s home run record. Up until Tuesday, the priceless items were on display inside the Roger Maris Museum located within the West Acres Mall in Fargo.
You see, Tuesday morning, they were stolen.
According to police reports, a vehicle pulled up outside the Roger Maris entrance of the mall. An individual ran up to the door and shattered it. The person, dressed in a “police-style” uniform, made their way to the display case, broke it, grabbed the belt and plaque and exited the mall.
The time from entrance to exit was “about a minute”.
“We feel violated,” mall property manager Chris Heaton said. “Roger Maris is a Fargo hero, so for someone to do this defies belief.”
Now…about that belt.
From 1950 to 1976, the Hickok belt was awarded to the top professional athlete in the United States. It was an alligator-skin belt with an 18-carat gold buckle, a 4 1/3-carat diamond and 26 gem chips. At the time it was handed out, it was worth between $10,000 and $15,000. Today, their estimated value is somewhere between $90,000 and $140,000.
Coincidentally, the belt former Los Angeles Dodgers legend Maury Wills won in 1962 was stolen from the “Las Vegas Club” casino in 1981. It has never been recovered.
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