Lot 246. Rare 1960 Pirates-Yankees World Series Scorecard Featuring Future President JFK. On Oct. 10, the day the Pittsburgh took a 3-2 game Series lead over New York at Yankee Stadium, Senator and presidential candidate John F. Kennedy appeared at two rallies in the Steel City. His image is on one side of the 7.25 x 8.5 scorecard, along with an endorsement for a local candidate for U.S. Senate. The scorecard itself is on the opposite side, with space for filling in the lineups for both World Series teams. It proclaims that “We beat ‘em in September, we’ll beat ‘em in October and Kennedy will beat ‘em in November.” The card is free of significant creases. A small stain is visible on the upper left of the Kennedy side, and the scorecard side has a tape stain in each corner. This is the first time we have seen this merger of baseball and politics. Certainly uncommon, and possibly unique!
Winning Bid $75.
Lot 255. 1947 “Babe: Dedicated to Babe Ruth” Original Sheet Music. Written by Charles Tobias and Peter DeRose, this song pays homage to the Sultan of Swat as it calls attention to his “called shot” in the Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Chicago. Clean ex-m copy.
Winning Bid $55.
Lot 256. Babe Ruth 1958-62 Hartland Statue with Original Bat. Both the figure and the bat are from Hartland’s original issue. The statue is off-white and shows some wear lines on Ruth’s cheeks, neck and hands.
Winning Bid $113.
Lot 257. 1924 Photo of Babe Ruth, Actor Douglas Fairbanks and Walter Johnson. The three celebrities appear in a Nov. 21 Associated News Service poster reporting that Johnson has retired “at the pinnacle of his career” and purchased the Oakland team of the Pacific Coast League. According to the 14” x 17” poster, Ruth “is now batting ‘em out for the movies.” The poster has several edge tears and light border stains, the usual folds and a small tear along one fold. Vg+ to ex.
Winning Bid $130.
Lot 258. 2 Wire Photos of Babe Ruth in Military Uniform, One with WWI Hero Gen. Pershing. In both photos, as a member of the New York National Guard, Ruth salutes Gen. John J. Pershing, the only American promoted during his lifetime to General of the Armies. He led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I and was a mentor to several World War II leaders, including Gen. Eisenhower and Gen. Patton. Both wire photos are from UPI, and both were taken at the same event in 1924, when Ruth traveled to Washington, D.C., and, in uniform, met the general. In a 6.5” x 8.5” photo distributed in 1924, Ruth salutes Gen. Pershing. In a 1924 photo distributed in 1948, Ruth and Gen. Pershing salute each other. This 8” x 10” photo was distributed in 1948 following Ruth’s death. Pershing had died one month and one day earlier. The upper right corner of the first photo is slightly clipped. Otherwise, both photos are ex with original captions.
Winning Bid $301.
Lot 259. 1927 Sports Pages Marking Babe Ruth’s 59th and Record-Setting 60th Home Runs. On Sept. 30, 1927, Ruth swatted his 60th home run of the baseball season, thereby eclipsing by one the record he had set in 1921. A page from the Sept. 30 “Nashville Banner” reports that Ruth equaled his record the previous day. The slugger is pictured above the box score for the game. An article on a page from the Oct. 1 paper announces that Ruth had broken “his own circuit clout record.” The pages have chips along the edges and otherwise are clean and display well.
Winning Bid $80.
Lot 260. 2 Vintage Wire Photos Showing Babe Ruth, His 2 Wives and Daughter Dorothy. In an undated wire photo issued on Jan. 28, 1929, Ruth is seated next to his first wife, Helen. Herbert Photos distributed the 5.25” x 7.5” photo after Mrs. Ruth died in a fire on Jan. 11 in Watertown, MA. She and Ruth had been separated for several years. The photo, which has a caption on the back, has nine pin holes at the top or bottom and otherwise is vg. The image of Ruth, in a Yankees uniform, is strong. In the second photo, taken on June 19, 1938, RUTH IS PICTURED ON HIS FIRST DAY AS THE FIRST BASE COACH FOR THE BROOKLYN DODGERS. He received a “rousing ovation” as he made his first appearance in a Dodgers uniform. Next to him in the 6.5” x 8.5” photo from International News are his second wife, Claire Merrit Hodgson, and his adopted daughter from his first marriage, Dorothy. Ruth also adopted Hodgson’s daughter, Julia. The photo, an original, has some minor blemishes along the border and displays as ex+.
Winning Bid $121.
Lot 261. 1931 Photograph of Babe Ruth and Boxers Tony Canzoneri and Kid Berg. Issued by the Elliott Service Co., this composite differs from “Illustrated Current News” issues by being an actual glossy photo. Measuring 11” x 14”, it shows Ruth leaving a Boston hospital and Tony Canzoneri knocking out Jack (Kid) Berg in the third round of their April 24, 1931 bout for the lightweight and light welterweight titles. Technically vg, displays better.
Minimum Bid $50.
Lot 262. 1932, 1934 “Atlanta Constitution” Pages with Babe Ruth Photos and Salary Information. Ruth is pictured on both pages. On a page from Jan. 15, 1932, Ruth is said to be “indignant” because the Yankees offered him only $70,000 for the upcoming season. That was $10,000 less than what he made in 1931, when he hit only 46 home runs and batted .373. By 1934, Ruth has agreed to have his salary cut from $52,000 in 1933 to $35,000. The 1934 paper has a 6” x 6.5” picture of Ruth. The 1934 page has a tear at the top; otherwise, the pages are vg+ to ex.
Minimum Bid $75.
Lot 263. 4 1934-38 Wire Photos with Babe Ruth as a Retired Yankee, a Boston Brave and a Dodger. All originals, all with original captions except the 1936 photo. 1934: UPI wire photo distributed by Acme. Ruth retired at the end of the season. A 7” x 9” photo shows him in street clothes at Navin Field in Detroit before the first game of the World Series with Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Mickey Cochrane and Schoolboy Rowe. Left border trimmed; otherwise, ex. 1935: UPI-International News. A 6.5” x 8.5” spring training photo pictures Ruth, with the Boston Braves, and a House of David player. Vg+ to ex. 1936: UPI-International News. Ruth is shown in uniform, apparently at Yankee Stadium, in an 8” x 10” photo as he makes a film short titled “Home Run on the Keys.” Vg+ to ex. 1938: UPI-Acme. Ruth, in a Brooklyn Dodgers uniform, talks with Chicago Cubs manager before a game in the Windy City. The photo is 6” x 8” with the bottom border removed; otherwise, ex-m+. An excellent collection capturing the latter stages of the Sultan of Swat’s career!
Winning Bid $165.
Lot 264. 1935 Wire Photo of Babe Ruth and Matsutaro Shoriki, Father of Japanese Pro Baseball. In the fall of 1934, Shoriki sponsored a visit to Japan of Ruth and other American baseball players. At least 200,000 Japanese watched four exhibition games. For his efforts, Shoriki was stabbed by a radical nationalist, who believed that the exhibition games drained money from Japan while the nation experienced an economic depression. An original 6.5” x 8.5” International News photo shows Ruth with Shoriki at the left and Joseph Clark Grew, U.S. ambassador to Japan; Connie Mack and a Japanese baseball fan. Shoriki recovered and formed the Yomiuri Giants. After World War II, he became the first commissioner of the Japanese Professional Baseball League. Since 1977, Japan has presented the Matsutaro Shoriki Award to the player or manager who made a significant contribution to the development of Japanese baseball. Sadaharu Oh was the first recipient and has received the award four times. Bobby Valentine is the only American recipient. The photo is ex+. The caption is included.
Winning Bid $83.
Lot 265. 1938 Advertisement with Babe Ruth Receiving a Louisville Slugger Sterling Silver Bat. In a 9.5” x 15” newspaper ad, Ruth receives the bat as “a token of his hitting prowess” at the annual New York Chapter of Sportswriters’ Dinner. The ad lists Ruth’s home run total as 729, which includes the 15 he belted in World Series competition. The ad has a couple of creases away from Ruth’s image, and it’s matted to 16” x 20”.
Minimum Bid $40.
Lot 266. Babe Ruth 11`”x14” Limited Edition Silver Gelatin 1915 Boston Red Sox Image. This museum-quality photo, numbered 341, was hand-printed on acid-free paper from the original glass negative. Ruth won 18 games in 1915 for the Red Sox and batted .315 in the process. The season also included his first major league home run. The photo comes with its “Baseball Antiquities” certificate and is housed in its original book-like folder. A superb Ruth image!
Winning Bid $225.
Lot 267. Babe Ruth 1935 Limited Edition 11” x 14” Photo from the Bruce Murray Collection. This nm-m to mint silver gelatin print captures Ruth in the dugout as a member of the Boston Braves. Murray was one of the most highly regarded photographers of the first half of the 20th century. Working for the “The Pubic Ledger” of Philadelphia and, later, the “Evening Bulletin,” he photographed a wide range of subjects, including sports figures. He retired in 1958 and passed away in 1969. Today, his photos are in the permanent collections of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Thomas Edison Museum, the Babe Ruth Museum, the Franklin Institute, the International Boxing Hall of Fame and other institutions. They also are in many private collections, including those of Reggie Jackson, Tom Hanks, Larry King and Gary Sinise. This photo is embossed with “The Bruce Murray Collection.” It was hand-printed directly from the original 4” x 5” negative. Numbered 737, it comes with a Murray Collection Certificate of Authenticity. It is a wonderful museum-quality image!
Winning Bid $138.
