An original Type I image of a young Babe Ruth taken by legendary baseball photographer Charles Conlon hits the auction block later this summer. The rare photo is expected to sell for $50,000 or more.
The 9 ½” x 6 ¾” image of Ruth dates to no later than 1918 and shows him swinging a bat. Photos of Ruth hitting during his time with the Red Sox are fairly rare since he was known primarily as a pitcher at the time.
The photo has some light corner and edge wear and resides in a frame. It carries an LOA from PSA/DNA.
Ruth played with the Red Sox from his 1914 debut through the 1919 season, after which he was famously sold to the Yankees. He captured his first American League home run titles in Boston and won 89 games as a pitcher.
In the last couple of years, several Conlon photos have sold for $10,000 or more. His original archive of over 7,400 negatives sold for nearly $1.8 million through Heritage in 2016.
The Ruth photo will be part of the Platinum Night Auction being conducted by Heritage on August 18-19. Online bidding is expected to open on July 2.
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