Auction Item Details
Lot 551
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Lot Number: 551
Description: Babe Ruth autographed baseball attributed to his 54th Home Run of the 1927 season. The 1927 season for Babe Ruth, and the New York Yankees for that matter, is by all accounts the benchmark by which greatness is measured. To date, comparisons are made on a consistently ongoing basis against the season which Ruth enjoyed in 1927 when he slammed a record 60 home runs, .356 batting average, and 164 RBIs en route to leading the Yankees to the World Championship. As historic seasons develop for a given player, the interesting footnotes that occur within allow those surrounding the events to feel more closely associated. Pitchers who surrendered a particular homerun, umpires who made a crucial call, or a fielder who missed a game winning play. It is for these reasons that the game of baseball, and its history, have produced so many legendary moments over the span of it being the country's national game. On September 18, 1927 Babe Ruth and the Yankees were playing the Chicago White Sox in a doubleheader played at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees prevailed in both games setting their season win total at 104 to come within one victory of the AL record 105 (1912 Red Sox). At the age of twelve, young Buddy Radin was in attendance of the second game played that day at Yankee Stadium. During the fifth inning of that second game, Babe Ruth blasted a pitch into the stands off of White Sox pitcher, Ted Lyons. Buddy Radin was the lucky fan to catch the ball after it being hit into the stands. After the game Radin, accompanied by his father, met several players outside the stadium and obtained the signatures of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Lyons, Ray Schalk, and Jimmy Ring. Ruth's signature remains very clear with early career quotations around Babe rating 6/7 out of 10. Other signatures including Gehrig range from 3-6 out of 10. The ball is inscribed in period ink, "Buddy Radin 1927 Sept 18 Lyons, Chicago" on one side panel with "54 HR 1927". The inscription, with the exception of "Buddy Radin" has also been enhanced over time due to age fading, but remains clearly legible inclusive of the original ink inscription vestiges. Ban Johnson Official American ball displays its original stampings with evident game use including a very pronounced area of impact appropriately near the "54 HR" inscription. Documented Ruth signed homerun baseballs are markedly rare with exemplars from the historic 1927 season ranking among the most seldom offered. Includes full LOAs from PSA/DNA and JSA along with several letters of provenance from the family of the original recipient including a notarized example: Ball: VG-EX, Signatures: Range VG-EXEstimated Price Range: ($40,000-$60,000)