Move over Babe Ruth. Make way for… Babe Ruth!
The “Sultan of Swat” broke his own record this week when a 1920-21 bat used by Ruth sold for a record $1.85M in a private sale. The previous high water mark for a baseball bat also belonged to the Yankees legend, and was sold for $1.68M by Heritage Auctions in August of 2022.
“It is without surprise that the Babe has once again pushed yet another sports memorabilia category to record pricing territory,” said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions.
The 1921 season is special in Ruthian lore as it was the year where he set the single season homerun record with 59 long balls. The 44.6 ounce Hillerich & Bradsby Co. manufactured bat is known in the collectibles community as “the Polo Grounds bat” after the stadium where the Yankees played until 1922.
What makes this particular example unique is the fact that it was able to be photomatched to a picture of Ruth using it, guaranteeing that it was in fact “game used”. It’s believed to be the only known example with supporting photographic evidence in existence. Most other game used memorabilia from the early 20’s Yankees teams come only with anecdotal corroboration.
Justin Cornett purchased the bat at auction in 2018 for $400,800. After which, he enlisted the help of PSA/DNA expert Henry Yee who was able to match the bat to a photo of Ruth swinging it from 1921.
With its validity now proven, the value of the bat skyrocketed by a factor of nearly five times what Cornett paid to acquire it.
Despite not playing a game since 1935, Ruth remains one of the kings of the memorabilia industry, regularly breaking his own collectible records. With a career .342 batting average, 714HRs, 2,174 runs, and 2,214 RBIs, George Herman Ruth was the first true crossover star the world had.
A 7x World Series champion, the Yankee icon’s exploits were known around the globe making him a legend in the collectibles community well after his passing. With nearly a century gone by since he last suited up in the Major Leagues, the scarcity of authentic Ruth signatures and memorabilia makes him a must have addition for any deep pocketed collector.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Charles M. Conlon. The author died in 1945, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 75 years or fewer.