Auction Item Details
Lot 551
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Lot Number: 551
Description: Important Babe Ruth steamer trunk c.1920-30's. On occasion a vintage sports related artifact becomes available for public purchase with the surety that it will in fact be a unique and one time opportunity to acquire such a piece. The offered item is nothing less then a prime exemplar of this occurrence. The trunk itself is of the finest quality for the era made by Hartmann Co. with green painted body having yellow pinstriping detail and white leather appointments. Interior features lift lid top with cushioned ceiling which conceals a six drawer arrangement on one side and hanging garment area on the other side retaining an original wooden hanger. Overall size of the trunk is 40" tall, 22" wide, and 22" deep when closed. One of the most fascinating and important aspects of the trunk is the presence of several period travel labels primarily located on top panel to include: Canadian Pacific personal information label with "Ruth" last name autograph in period fountain pen (remainder of label has losses), Seaview Hotel label (Singapore), New Grand label (Yokohama, Japan), Kyoto Hotel label (Japan), and Soeravai/Catco Bagge Service label. Some of the aforementioned labels have damage or losses but all are clearly identifiable. The majority of these were obtained when the trunk accompanied Ruth during the 1934 U.S. All-Stars Tour of Japan. The history of the trunk is a story of Ruthian proportions, the trunk was originally left at Babe Ruth's residence at 110 Riverside Dr. in the Bronx, NY. When the Ruth family vacated the property the trunk apparently became the property of the real estate company which transacted the sale of the home. The trunk was among other items removed by the real estate company to a garage in Stony Brook, NY where it remained for several years. A Stony Brook area individual came upon the trunk at, you guessed it, a garage sale where he was about to leave but inquired, "Do you have any sports related items?" mostly on behalf of his brother who was a huge sports fan. The response was, "Nothing like that, just an old trunk that used to belong to Babe Ruth." Although skeptical, the gentleman contacted his brother who immediately came to the house and purchased the trunk from the homeowner. Since that time the trunk for the most part has resided in the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore, MD where it has displayed as a focal part of the exhibit. In addition to the obvious identification on the trunk itself it has been authenticated through several photographs showing Ruth with baseball equipment housed in the trunk. In addition, Babe Ruth's daughter Julia Ruth Stevens upon viewing the trunk at the Ruth Museum confirmed that it in fact was her father's travelling trunk used for sporting equipment and personal effects including Ruth's trademark cigars. The trunk remains in remarkable original condition with some typical age and usage wear to the side panels of exterior and some rusting to the locks and joints. On the interior is a single key locked door panel that at present remains locked. According to the owner who first sold the trunk that door has been locked from the point it was removed from the Ruth home until its' sale to date which will be verified in a letter of provenance from the current owner. Although the current owner had intended to unlock the door at some point it is his wish to sell the trunk with the door locked leaving the possibility of a pinstriped surprise on the inside. The offered lot must be considered among the finest Babe Ruth related pieces to become available to the collecting public and would compliment the most advanced collection at any level. Includes letter of provenance from the current owner, photographs (incl. enlarged poster size mounted image) with relation to Ruth and the trunk, and LOA from PSA/DNA J.Spence-S.Grad (autographed label): EX
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