Babe Ruth belonged to the Golden Age of Sport. Of all the names that dominated the roaring twenties -- Red Grange, Jack Dempsey, Bobby Jones, Bill Tilden, Man o' War -- none was bigger than Babe. In Ruth, Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert had both a player of unrivaled ability and a gate attraction unmatched in the history of American spectator sports. He also had a man-child whose gargantuan appetites, charisma, and ego kept the media scurrying in the wake of his latest generosities and indiscretions. Of Ruth's constant carousing, roommate Ping Bodie famously quipped, "I don't room with him. I room with his suitcase."
The presented garment was likely a staple in Ruth’s suitcase during his pivotal early years with the Bronx Bombers. Period photographs suggest that this extraordinary double-knit Yankees team issued sweater was likely worn by a young and virile Ruth while taking New York by storm both on and off the field in the early 1920s. The steel grey sweater is trimmed with a navy shawl collar, cuffs, front placket and bottom trim. There is an exquisite light purple interlocking "NY" logo on the left breast. The name “RUTH” is largely hand written in period faded purple ink (approximately 4” letters) on the inside lower back of the garment. A photograph of Ruth (presented here) captures Ruth with Yankees teammate Al Devormor (1921-22) outside a hotel dapperly attired in their Yankee sweaters. An intensive comparison reveals distinctive matching features between this sweater and that worn by Ruth in the photo, especially the unique formation of the “NY” crest.
A 1969 newspaper article that accompanies the sweater documents its lineage as having been gifted to William Christman of Gaithersburg, Maryland by a trainer of Babe Ruth in St. Louis during the early 1920s. At the time Mr. Christman received the sweater from Ruth’s former trainer he was a young St. Louis area high school baseball star playing in the local Babe Ruth League. Christman kept the sweater until 1969, when, as the article states, he presented it to a Gaithersburg restaurateur to be displayed in part to honor the death of Mr. Christman’s son in Vietnam.
The sweater shows signs of heavy use and wear, most notable by numerous fabric pulls present throughout the garment. The once navy blue NY felt crest has faded to a light purple color. There are a couple of holes in the garment, largely confined to the left shoulder area and where fabric panels that make up the left rear of the collar are joined. The bottom button is missing and the 2nd-4th buttons from the bottom appear to early replacements. None of the aforementioned characteristics detract from the display quality of the garment in any significant or appreciable manner.
Unlike uniforms, team sweaters such as this were not limited to use at home vs. on the road. As such, Ruth undoubtedly donned this sweater both on and off the field in New York as well as in cities and ballparks throughout the league. If this sweater could talk! This is a truly exceptional, one-of-a-kind relic that captures the essence of the most prolific athlete in the history from the Golden Age of American sports. Includes a comprehensive LOA from MEARS.
Click here to view MEARS notes and image plates .
Also included is a notarized document explaining in detail how the jersey came into the possession of the consignor. The consignor was a 33 year employee of the restaurant where the sweater had been on display since 1969 and formed a deep friendship with the owner, who never had any children of his own. The owner now a widower and in declining health, decided to pass on his restaurant to the consignor. In 2002 the restaurant experienced an economic down turn. Before the restaurant was finally sold in 2005, the consignor received all the items in the restaurant, including the offered Ruth jersey.