LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Signature Sports Auction #705  / 

19882

1921-31 Babe Ruth Game Used Bat

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop / Sports - Game Used Memorabilia Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 20,000.00 USD
1921-31 Babe Ruth Game Used Bat
<B>1921-31 Babe Ruth Game Used Bat.</B></I> Picasso had his paintbrush. Jimi Hendrix had his guitar. Babe Ruth created his masterpieces with a Hillerich & Bradsby, a fine example of which we're privileged to present here. Dating from the ten-year stretch that saw Ruth hit over 500 of his career 714 home runs, this sculpted wood represents one of the most desirable artifacts in the sports collecting hobby. The ownership of a Babe Ruth game used bat sets the elite collector apart from the masses, and makes him curator of a piece of true Americana. The legend of the Babe is far more than a sports story--it's an integral part of our national heritage.<BR><BR> The first thing one will notice when holding this bat in his hands is the tremendous use that is evident to the touch. The impacts of many baseballs, and the spikes on Ruth's shoes, have left their unmistakable marks in the aged wood, which exhibits slight grain separation from the abuse. A minor handle crack, spelling the end of a long tour of duty, has been expertly restored so as to be all but invisible. The resulting solid look and feel transports us back to an age when the Babe was delivering more home runs per season than many other entire teams. <BR><BR> Only in the issue of provenance does this bat not earn full points on the base ten point scale, though this absence of direct provenance is typical of any bat of this era without factory side writing or written/photographic documentation (in other words, 98% of period examples). The authenticator's worksheet gives the full five out of five for matching factory records, and three out of three for use. A variation from typical factory weight--this bat weighs 33.6 ounces--results in a point deduction, though the authenticator notes that three ounces could have been lost to the natural aging process of the wood. The length of 33.75" causes another point deduction, though, again, minor variations in bat length are not particularly unusual for this era. A chip and a hand carved letter "S" in the knob, likely the mark of the person who received this bat from Ruth, account for a third deducted point for an ultimate rating of A5.<BR><BR> With a Babe Ruth bat one of the three pieces of sports memorabilia to date to cross the million-dollar threshold at auction, it is clear that this market in one on the rise. While the pleasure of owning a Ruth gamer is surely its own reward, one can't overlook the investment potential here. Few collectibles in any genre have seen the sharp and steady upward value surge of Ruth game used material, and there's no sign that this will change any time soon. Portfolio diversification has never been more appealing. <I>LOA from Dave Bushing.</B></I>
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