The longtime caretaker of late Cubs great Ernie Banks has placed 12 of his possessions worth an estimated $250,000 in an auction, officials said.
Regina Rice is selling Banks' 1977 Hall of Fame ring, his "MR CUB" license plate and a photograph of him with Barack and Michelle Obama signed by the president and first lady.
The sale is being managed by Heritage Auctions, one of the largest auction houses in the country, and it comes as Rice and Banks' estranged wife are still in court trying to settle a lawsuit over the slugger's estate.
"Ernie Banks is right up there with other all-time greats," said Chris Ivy, the director of sports collectibles at Heritage. "There's a reason he was called Mr. Cub. There's no shortage of Banks fans out there. There are people who have seen him play, collectors, and fans all over the world who will want to purchase these items."
The auction opened late last month, several weeks after a Cook County (Ill.) judge gave Rice permission to sell the items. In June, Judge James Riley told Rice she would have to provide a list of items she wanted to sell to the court before an auction.
Rice began working with the auction house in May to determine the value of the paraphernalia she wanted to sell, Ivy said. In addition to his Hall of Fame ring, Rice is selling Banks' 1958 Babe Ruth Sultan of Swat Award and his 2-foot tall bronze replica of the statue of Banks that stands outside Wrigley Field.
The auction is online only and will close in two sessions, Ivy said. Bidding on the first set of items will end Aug. 27. Bidding on the second set of items will end Aug. 28. Only customers who bid on items early on will be allowed to bid again during the closing hours, Ivy said.
For months Rice has been in a legal dispute with Banks' estranged wife Elizabeth over how to divide the legendary sluggers' estate. On Wednesday, both sides met in the judges chambers to discuss a settlement, but did not come to an agreement. They are scheduled to appear in court again Aug. 24.
Rice's attorney, Linda Chatman would not comment on the auction. Elizabeth Banks' attorney, Thomas Jefson, did not return calls.
Elizabeth Banks lives in California but came to Chicago last year for a closed-door meeting with Rice but the two were not able to settle their differences. The lawsuit has lingered since then.
Banks died of a heart attack in January 2015 at age 83.
His wife has alleged in court filings that her husband was diagnosed with moderate to severe dementia days before Rice arranged for him to sign an updated will. That new will was signed three months before Banks died and it cut his family out of his estate and left everything to Rice.
In her court filings, Rice has claimed Banks entrusted her to carry out his wishes and didn't want his family to share in his estate. Banks served his wife a stern cease-and-desist letter in 2013 demanding she stop claiming any right to his personal or business dealings, court records show.
