Babe Ruth Auction to Benefit Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/6/2016
This is a Spalding Official National League (Heydler) baseball that has been signed by the great Babe Ruth. Ruth used a black steel-tip fountain pen to place his name on a side panel – in close proximity to a clubhouse rendering of team-mate Lou Gehrig's autograph. Considerable appeal attaches to an antique baseball through speculation about the places it's been and the things it's seen. The example offered here – with its age-darkened panels, vestiges of "mystery" scriptings or stampings, and the fanciful addition of "Gehrig's" penmanship – clearly must have witnessed more than most. The red-and-blue-stitched ball serves as a fascinating vehicle for Ruth's coveted signature, and the piece presents very favorably within this context. The ball is accompanied by a full LOA from JSA (Cert. #X73405), wherein it is specified that the name of Lou Gehrig is a "clubhouse" version. Goldin Auctions will be donating 5% of the winning bid price of this lot and all lots in this auction to the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum.