Babe Ruth bat sells for record $1.85 million

Babe Ruth grew to become Babe Ruth — the Sultan of Swat, the Great Bambino — in 1920 and ’21. While he was a star earlier than then, Ruth’s 54 dwelling runs in 1920 smashed his personal MLB report of 29 that he set the 12 months earlier than. The subsequent season, he swatted 59 — setting one other report that he would additionally break simply six years later.

So, it is solely pure that it is a bat from these seasons that set a report by promoting for $1.85 million by Hunt Auctions in a personal treaty sale earlier this week. Naturally, identical to the slugger himself, the sale broke one other report of Ruth’s: The earlier excessive was $1.68 million for an additional one in every of his mannequin bats.

“This baseball bat is as close to a work of art as the medium can allow,” Dave Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, stated. “When holding the 44.6-ounce weapon that Babe as soon as used to pummel baseballs into the bleachers at New York’s Polo Grounds, it turns into instantly apparent as to the significance of this wonderful baseball artifact. Equally spectacular to the report worth established is the enduring legacy that Ruth left for seemingly limitless generations of followers who proceed to revere his legend — each on and off of the baseball discipline.”

While a Babe Ruth bat is not as uncommon as, say, a 1952 Mickey Mantle card, what typically makes them notable is how the public sale homes are in a position to authenticate these priceless artifacts.

“One thing that’s been documented, is that over the years Ruth played, he was very benevolent in giving out different items: Bats, gloves, things of that sort. Many of which were inscribed to certain people along the way — dignitaries, different players — which gives us a baseline to understand why some of these pieces would be out there in the first place,” Hunt instructed MLB.com. “This particular bat, literally in the early-to-mid ’90s, came right from the original recipient who had it all that time since he received it back in [the 1920s].”

Not solely does that lend itself to a transparent lineage of the bat, it comes with a terrific story, too. This bat was initially auctioned off on the Polo Grounds alongside lumber from different stars like Rogers Hornsby. Our authentic proprietor did not even purchase the bat, although — he was really given it by his boss as a thanks for his arduous work.

“He literally then carried it forward, brought it into the hobby through John [Taube of PSA Pro Bat Services] and it resided in a private collection for decades,” Hunt stated.

“I am very familiar with the ‘Polo Grounds’ Babe Ruth bat, bringing it into the hobby 30 years ago,” Taube stated. “I bear in mind vividly the joy that surrounded the day it was being hand delivered to my dwelling by the unique proprietor. When I first picked the bat up like all collectors, I used to be amazed on the 44-plus ounce weight of the bat, questioning how Ruth may swing it. The wealthy brown patina and the Ruth traits that have been current, then and now, set up the bat as one of many premier Babe Ruth recreation used bats in any assortment, public or personal.”

The different factor that makes this bat so distinctive is that it has been picture matched to precise photos of Ruth swinging the lumber.

“Basically you look for grain patterns,” Hunt stated. “If you’ve got an image of the bat, you can see the different intersecting points where there’s unique grain patterns on the bat. Then you look at the Louisville Slugger trademark stamp, which obviously has to also correspond to the date period in which the bat was used and made.”

“There’s quite a few things that have to come together to get to the point where you’ve got this kind of bat and have one of the country’s leading experts in photography from that era render that opinion,” Hunt added. “It’s uncommon. It does happen but it’s pretty darn uncommon for sure.”

Hunt additionally had auctioned off the most costly jersey in historical past just some years prior when Ruth’s 1928-30 uniform went for $5,640,000 in 2019.

“It really shows just the absolute mystique and power of Ruth’s name,” Hunt stated. “I mean, we’re over 100 years from when he made his MLB debut. It’s just staggering. And really impressive — I think more so than any other individual in any other sport.”