The 1961 Hickok Belt was stolen from the Roger Maris Museum early Tuesday in a North Dakota mall, per the Associated Press. Reportedly, a burglar smashed into a glass display case that was holding the prestigious belt and took it.
Police have further discovered that Maris' 1960 AL MVP award plaque was also missing.
The Hickok Belt, which started in 1950, is an award given the top professional athlete in a major sport. Maris won it in 1961, the season in which he hit 61 home runs for the Yankees to break Babe Ruth's long-standing single-season record.
The most recent monthly winner of the Hickok Belt was LeBron James, who took home the honors after the Cavs won the NBA championship last month.
The belt itself is an alligator-skin belt with a gold buckle and a four-carat diamond along with 26 gem chips. The estimated value? Somewhere between $90,000 and $140,000. Then again, if the thief is planning on selling the thing, wouldn't he or she be caught for the burglary?
Regardless, this is certainly an odd circumstance in Fargo, North Dakota.
