The year was 1934. The location was the island of Oahu, Hawaii in what was then just a remote territory of the United States. While the pace was relaxed and news was slow in coming, residents definitely took a liking to "America's National Past Time" and it's heroes from the mainland.
This interest in baseball held especially true for Charles Ford King, Jr., who in 1934 was eleven years old and lived in Honolulu. On October 20, 1934, he had the opportunity to meet the greatest player of the time, and perhaps all time, Babe Ruth.
As is well documented, Babe Ruth traveled to Hawaii en route to one of several barnstorming tours in Japan. This particular trip, organized by former player Herb Hunter, included Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Connie Mack, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Gomez and others.
During their stay in Hawaii, Ruth made a special appearance at local radio station, KGU-AM. Charles' grandfather was a good friend of the radio station owner and the owner invited Charles and his grandfather to the station to meet Babe Ruth. It was at this show where Babe Ruth autographed this ball for Charles and shook the eleven-year-old boys hand. Charles kept the ball in his possession until his passing in 2007 at which time the ball was transferred to his daughter. This ball has remained in her possession from the time she obtained it 2007 until this present offering.
The offered ball is autographed by Babe Ruth and Herb Hunter. Babe Ruth's history is obviously well documented. Herb Hunter was a utility infielder/outfielder who played in the majors from 1916-1921. He made his debut with the New York Giants and was soon traded to the Chicago Cubs. He also played for the Boston Red Sox before his career came to an end. He then was integral in organizing barnstorming tours of Japan in 1920, 1922, 1931 and 1934.
The cream-colored Goldsmith “Official League” ball features blue and red stitching, retaining an unused appearance with a few small-scattered stain spots and minor spots of surface wear. Ruth’s perfectly formed sweet spot signature projects at 8/10 while Hunter’s side panel penning rates 8-9/10. The ball comes with a full LOA from PSA/DNA with an overall composite grade of 6.5