Babe Ruth’s 1918 player’s contract with the Boston Red Sox became the most expensive item of its kind Saturday night when it sold at auction for $1.02 million. An anonymous buyer had the winning bid on the final day of bidding in the Babe Ruth Centennial Auction conducted by Goldin Auctions.
The auction concluded with live bidding at the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore. In all, the auction grossed a combined $3.6 million.
The contract, a $5,000 deal with Harry Frazee’s Red Sox, was Ruth’s personal copy.
A ball hit by Ruth during the final stages of the original Yankee Stadium construction in 1923 didn’t meet the $100,000 reserve. Originally retrieved by a construction worker and signed by Ruth, the ball is owned by private collector Joel Platt, who has had it on display inside his Boca Raton, FL museum.
A glove attributed to use by Mickey Mantle in the mid-1960’s sold for $180,000 while a framed set of ticket stubs from each of the Yankees’ 27 championship-clinching games sold for $58,000.
Collectors can continue to celebrate as the Goldin Auctions Babe Ruth 100th Anniversary Auction continues online through July 18 at www.GoldinAuctions.com. More than 1,200 lots of memorabilia, including more than 150 Ruth items, are still available for sale.
“It was a magical night and especially appropriate that records were set when we honored the man who set more records than any player in baseball history,” said Ken Goldin, Founder of Goldin Auctions. “We thank the 100 bidders who attended the live auction and the thousands others who bid online. We are excited to keep the action going online for another week for collectors all across the world.”
Other items sold included:
Lot #33 – Roy Campanella 1951 National League MVP Award – $181,500
Lot #32 – 1952 Jackie Robinson All-Star Game Used Bat – only All Star HR – $114,950
Lot #19 – 1956 Mickey Mantle Game Used Bat – $105,875
Lot #94 – Babe Ruth Single Signed A.L. Baseball (PSA/DNA 8.5 with Mint 9 Sig) – $96,000
Lot #18 – Babe Ruth signed & typed letter from the set of Pride of the Yankees(PSA/DNA 10) – $90,750
Lot #4 – 1941 Joe DiMaggio Game Used Hillerich & Bradsby Bat – $84,700
Lot #72 – 1916 Famous & Barr Babe Ruth Rookie Card (PSA VG3) – $63,535
Lot #44 – 1956 Yogi Berra Game Used Catcher’s Mitt – $54,450
Lot #36 – 1972 Catfish Hunter Oakland A’s World Series Ring – $39,930
Lot #81 – Perfect Game Baseball signed by all 18 pitchers to throw a perfect game in the past 90 years – $26,620
Lot #79 – 2008 Derek Jeter Opening Day Game Worn Home Jersey – $24,200
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[…] Babe Ruth jersey on the block, other Babe-a-bilia traded hands. In July, Goldin Auctions held its Ruth Centennial Auction, which featured hundreds of items up for bid at the Ruth Museum and Birthplace. When the dust […]