This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/4/2021
Offered is a unique and highly significant 1933 contract from the greatest figure in baseball history signed and agreed to during the offseason after Ruth's "called shot" and AL best .489 OBP in the 1932 season. Ruth's contract leading up to negotiations was at $75,000 and was too rich in the eyes of Hall of Famer and owner of the Yankees, Jacob Ruppert who was keen on trimming down the hefty price tag. In the end, Ruppert's negotiation tactics worked in the tune of a $52,000 final agreement between the GOAT and the world famous ball club. Although the number was a significant reduction from the prior deal, Ruth would still be making more than double than his fellow Yankee legend, Lou Gehrig.
Ruth's 1933 numbers would prove to be an extremely good value for the club as he brought 100 RBI, 34 bombs and batted .301. The Babe was fittingly named a starter in the inaugural All-Star Game that season and he would finish out the campaign with an October 1st pitching victory over his old Boston Red Sox team. This would also be his very last appearance on the mound. Even with Ruth's outstanding performance during the '33 season, Ruppert would come back the very next year and shave another $17,000 ending one of the greatest partnerships in American sports history.
The standard four-page model "Uniform Player's Contract" offered here was utilized for decades in the Major Leagues, identifying the player and salary on page one and including a typed addendum into page two directing a quarter of exhibition game receipts to the World's greatest show on earth. The Hall of Fame signatures of owner Jacob Ruppert, manager Joe McCarthy and Ruth himself appear in 10/10 black fountain pen below, the Hall of Fame slugger signing in his highly desirable "George Herman Ruth" format and adding his handwritten Manhattan address below. It is undeniably one of the finest Ruth autographs we've encountered.
With only original storage folds to report--no tears, creases, or stains, the document has survived the better part of a near-century since its inception. It is housed in a gorgeous and expensive custom slipcase for safe keeping for centuries to come.
Accompanied by a Full LOA from PSA/DNA and Beckett Authentication Services
Estimate: $350,000+
This lot has a Reserve Price that has not been met.