A 1914 Baltimore News version of Babe Ruth’s rookie card just sold for a staggering $7.2M late last night at auction. The sum is the 3rd highest total ever paid for a sports card, and makes it the most expensive Ruth item of all time.
The card itself is one of only 10 known copies that still exist, and was graded an SGC 3. With the sale, SGC, despite being a smaller company than rivals PSA and BGS, now boasts the three most expensive sports card sales of all time following the $12.6M Mickey Mantle, and $7.25M Honus Wagner deals.
Making things even more intriguing is the fact that there’s a copy of this same card with a higher grade, which is currently sitting in someone’s private collection as well. Given the record setting benchmark this Ruth card just sold for, it’s entirely possible that someone is currently sitting on one of the most valuable sports cards in existence.
The sale is the first time a Ruth rookie card has been sold publicly since 2013, leading president of Robert Edward Auctions, Brian Dwyer to quip “It’s easier to buy an NFL team in the last decade than it has been to buy one of these cards.” The 2013 sale went for $450,000 meaning the value has gone up 16 fold over the past decade.
The identity of the buyer has not yet been revealed.
Photo: PDimages.com . This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928.