This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/1/2010
In 1927 the enormity of Babe Ruth’s popularity was such that no commercial arena was unconquerable, including that of feature films. He most often appeared as himself in leading roles, as was the case in the 1927 picture “Babe Comes Home." It was during the filming of Babe Comes Home that the cast and crew autographed this Spalding baseball. The ball is mildly and uniformly toned, yet the many signatures (and notations, to include the movie's title) are still perfectly legible. Many of the peripheral figures who contributed to this silent film's making are lost to time—their names not appearing in documented credits—yet nearly all of the principals are detailed here. There are 29 signatures on the ball, including Tom McGuire, Lou Archer, Arthur Stone, Louise Fazenda, Ted Wilde, Karl Struss, Anna Q. Nilsson, Wid Gunning, Mickey Bennett, and Ethel Shannon and of course the star and project namesake, Babe Ruth. His bold inscription appears on the west panel, "To Lonore Kent From Babe Ruth". Ruth’s magnificent inscription and autograph project at 8 out of 10. The cast-autographed ball is a rare and meaningful memorial to “The Babe Comes Home”, a movie dating to Ruth’s most glorious season on the diamond. Includes full LOA from PSA/DNA.