This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/3/2020
The Sultan of Swat signed this Official American League baseball around the turn of the Roaring Twenties when he, Gehrig and the rest of Murderer's Row were wreaking havoc for the Bronx Bombers. The blue stamp of AL President Ernest Barnard is visible directly below Babe's 5/10 black ink signature. Normally Ruth would sign the sweet spot, but in this case he chose a side panel perhaps because the soiled, toned and scuffed ball left him no choice. It is quite possible that this ball was used in a game, both due to its condition and provenance. It has been in the same family's hands for multiple generations, having first been procured by a local New Yorker who attended Yankees games in the 1920s and 30s. There is another autograph on the opposite panel from Ruth which has not been identified. Regardless of condition, it is tough to get a Babe Ruth autograph on any blue and red stitched OAL ball. And this one probably has a good story to it. Includes full LOAs from PSA/DNA and Beckett.