Even into his late-30s - considered ancient in baseball years - the Babe continued to awe. In 1932 he launched his famous “Called Shot” in the World Series and the following year he christened the inaugural All-Star Game in Ruthian fashion by hitting the Mid-Season Classic’s first home run. Ruth was 38 that summer, and age was starting to show on the Bambino. His legs were giving out, and his once sparkling fielding skills suffered. The big man was often replaced in the late innings by a younger understudy, but his bat was still lively, hitting .301 with 34 home runs.

Though clearly on the downside of his majestic career, the Babe was still a big draw, and some clubs relied on the Yankees and Babe Ruth coming to town to make a profit. The Yankees still felt the same way, since the Babe had been the man who turned the team from a being a second-rate franchise into the most respected sports franchise in the country. For 1934, owner Jacob Ruppert decreased Ruth’s salary from $52,000 to $35,000. Ruth was still the highest paid ball player, and he signed with no complaint as he had the desire of eventually managing the Yankees. The 1934 season turned out to be the Babe’s final season in New York. At the end of the year, his average stood at .288, the first time since 1925 that he dipped below .300, and his home run tally of 22 was merely human.

To Ruth’s disappointment, the Yankees also failed to offer him the manager’s spot, instead proffering him the helm of their top farm club in Newark. Ruth’s time in pinstripes had come to an end. This is the Babe’s last Yankees contract. The American League Uniform Player’s Contract has been stamped “JAN 16 1934” on its cover and dated “Jan’y 15^th” on the interior signature page. The contract has been filled out in typewriter, noting Ruth’s 1934 salary as “$35,000.00.” The contract is signed on the interior page “George H. Ruth” in strong black fountain pen. Co-signing are the architects of the Yankees legacy, owner Jacob Ruppert and general manager Ed Barrow. Both men have signed in the same strong black ink as Ruth. Due to the signatures being located on the interior of this folded document, they have remained fresh and crisp. League president William Harridge has signed the front of the contract, making it four Hall of Famers on one historically important document. As a working document, the contract shows edge wear with some light staining, none of which affects the signatures. The document has two horizontal folds from being stored in an envelope and there is a black ink stain on the upper portion of the interior pages. An important piece of baseball’s past, marking the Babe’s last season on the team that he made famous. This document comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (AE08131).

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