2017 WSOP Marathon Bracelet Sells on eBay for $3K

4 min read

Joseph Di Rosa Rojas, who won the 2017 World Series of Poker Marathon (for almost $700,000) is the latest champion to ditch his valuable wrist trophy for cash — made apparent when another buyer sold the WSOP hardware on eBay.

2017 WSOP Marathon winner Joseph Di Rosa Rojas
2017 WSOP Marathon champion Joseph Di Rosa Rojas solid his bracelet on eBay for $3,000. (Image: WSOP)

Rojas’s bracelet sold on Thursday to an unknown purchaser for the buy-it-now price of $3,000. It came with a price tag still attached that said $4,999.99.

It’s unclear why Rojas sold the coveted piece of jewelry or how much he received only one year after winning life-changing money. Many poker players on social media speculated he’s broke but without proof.

Market for WSOP Bracelets

In the eBay ad, the seller explained that the item is a 56.1 gram, 10-karat gold bracelet from WSOP 2017 Event #23, $2,620 Marathon No-Limit Hold’em. Also mentioned in the ad was a note saying the bracelet was “checked out by a local jeweler in Las Vegas” to ensure it’s the “real deal.”

If the asking price seems low, that’s because Rojas isn’t exactly a household name. When it comes to sports collectibles, the value of an item is based on a number of factors, including how well-known the person is who won the item. That’s why a Super Bowl ring awarded to the starting quarterback would most certainly sell for more than a cheerleader’s ring, for example.

When it comes to WSOP bracelets, the more famous the player who won the bracelet is, the higher collectors will pay. If Phil Hellmuth sold his 1989 Main Event bracelet, for example, we can assure you it would sell for a lot more than $3,000.

Rojas has just $70,000 in career live tournament cashes outside of the 2017 Marathon. Few casual poker players could pick him out of a lineup.


Ebay ad for Joseph Di Rosa Rojas’ WSOP Bracelet

eBay listing for WSOP bracelet

Very cool piece from 2017 World Series of Poker. It was given out for Event 23 also known as The Marathon so not anything from the main event but still an event with nearly 1,800 people. 10K gold 56.1 Grams, does have the gemstones in it as well for the different suits etc. Has been checked out by a local jeweler in Las Vegas NV it is real deal. Still has its 5,000 dollar price tag on it. He said it’s in overall good shape does have in his words, “some light wear from wearing it here and there but nothing bad at all.” … Also comes with a hard box as well.


(Not) Holding on to Hardware

Seeing a WSOP bracelet for sale on the internet doesn’t always mean someone’s gone broke. Pawn shops are littered with championship rings and other bedazzled memorabilia from athletes who just don’t care about jewelry … and probably were broke.

But there are exceptions among WSOP champions. Four-time bracelet winner Max Pescatori put his 2015 $10,000 seven-card stud bracelet on eBay last year — but it was to raise money for charity. ( The winning bidder paid $6,100.)

Tom McEvoy, the 1983 world champion and author of several early poker strategy books, put his Main Event bracelet on eBay in 2017, as part of a package that included autographed books, PokerStars Team Pro patches, and an in-person poker lesson. It went for $15,000. There was no indication about why that money mattered more to him at the time than the historic hardware of gold rope and 12 diamonds.

Other Main Event winners who have sold bracelets include Jerry Yang, Jamie Gold, and Brad Daugherty. Peter Eastgate, 2009 champion, sold his Main Event gold for charity at a time when he was publicly distancing himself from the game.

Hellmuth has noted giving away bracelets as gifts to for close friends and family members.

At the 2018 WSOP, Elio Fox cut a deal in the $100k High Roller where he took second place (and $1.8 million) and caught some heat for not appearing to want a bracelet bad enough. (It would have been his second.) But for Fox, the money is what mattered, even at the risk of not having a piece of jewelry that, should he ever be short on cash, he could sell on eBay.



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