An included page from the October 19, 1927 edition of The Sioux City (Iowa) Daily newspaper recounts the previous day's scene in vivid terms as the Bustin' Babes vs. Larrupin' Lou's tour drew 5,000 excited schoolkids to the local Stock Yards Park baseball grounds on October 18, 1927 to watch the recently crowned World Champion New York Yankees superstars face off in a barnstorming contest just weeks after the conclusion of their greatest season. One of those fans, a local schoolkid named Charlie Ryan, came away with the presented sphere, the keepsake of a lifetime that has been preserved and treasured by his descendents until being recently introduced to the collecting hobby. The ONL (Heydler) ball was not only used in the game, but smashed by Ruth for a crowd thrilling home run. The accompanying original newspaper provides a complete account of the day and how young Charlie Ryan became the envy of every baseball fan in the greater Sioux City area. The paper features a large image of Ryan holding the ball above the caption "CHARLIE RYAN AND BABE'S HOME RUN BALL". The accompanying text reads, "When Babe Ruth lined the horsehides over the right field fence at Stock Yards park during his exhibition game Tuesday afternoon, there was a mad scramble of the youngsters perched on the freight car outside the park to get the ball and the boy shown above is the lucky one. He is Charlie Ryan, of Dawson, Neb., a high school student at Trinity college and a member of the Trinity Midget football team. He is also a sprinter of some prominence at the school and his ability in both lines of athletic endeavor served him well when he went after the ball. He tore his trousers and shirt and scraped his face, hands and shins on the cinders outside the ball park but he came up smiling -- with the ball. Both Ruth and Gehrig autographed the ball for young Ryan, who is living with his sister, Miss Mary Ryan, at 2222 Pierce street. The ball is now in the possession of Ben Rosenblum, former Omaha sports writer now connected with a California newspaper, and is on exhibition in the show window of Ben's Jewelry Store here."
The appeal and provenance of this magnificent artifact is bolstered by the pairing of autographs from the game's marquee players, Ruth and Gehrig, on the same panel in 6/10 black ink and 7/10 blue ink respectively. Of note is the signature of another of the game's star performers, Dazzy Vance (5/10) occupying the sweet spot. This signature can be identified in the newspaper photo of Ryan holding the ball. Cardinals outfielder and Iowa native Wattie Holm and George Pipgras round out the signing roster. A reprint copy of a panoramic photo of the Bustin' Babes/Larrupin' Lous tour participants, taken in nearby Des Moine, Iowa just one day prior to the game in which Ruth hit this ball for a home run is also included. The photo includes each of the tour participants who have signed Ruth's home run ball. Historical importance meets Ideal vintage, meets magnificent display quality. A museum caliber Babe Ruth artifact.
Full LOA from PSA/DNA.