This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/19/2016
New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth wasn't just famous ... he was a cult of personality beyond any American that ever lived before him. In an era when the industrial age was thrusting the United States to the forefront as a global superpower, it was not a politician or captain of industry that personified American exceptionalism, but a baseball player with an upbringing so troubled as to be labeled "incorrigible" by the orphanage that housed him for 12 long years. Through world wars and an economic depression that left the future of humanity uncertain, baseball was the shining light that gave Americans hope, and Babe Ruth was its ambassador. Greats like Cobb, Wagner and Hornsby will always be remembered, but Babe Ruth? Yeah, Babe Ruth is baseball, and always will be. For all of Babe Ruth's personal indiscretions, and there were many, he is remembered as a man whose unprecedented celebrity never diminished the mutual affection he had for his adoring fans. While the presented Official American League (Harridge) baseball, brand new to the hobby as it has been in the consignor's family since his grandfather acquired the ball personally, is just one of many that "The Bambino" had signed over the years, it is unique as one of the finest examples, if not the absolute finest, in existence. A deep blue offering of Babe Ruth's surreal autograph is perfectly placed on the sweet spot, a thoroughly MINT presentation that would stand up under even the most rigid scrutiny as a GEM MINT penning if the cross that completes the "t" were slightly more defined. In fact, some experts have voiced an opinion that the signature on this baseball is at least on par and arguably superior to the PSA/DNA 9.5 graded ball that was sold several years back. To the northeast of Ruth's signature, in darker ink from an unknown hand, is what seems to be a date of "4/48," a mere 4 months before Ruth's passing after a long battle with cancer. The Reach manufacturer's stamp on the well-preserved, creamy-white orb shows a star below the Harridge signature with the patent line above the circle, which was implemented from 1943-1947. The words "MARCA REGISTRADA" appeared under the patent line from 1943-1945 and subsequently removed, as with this example, for the 1946-1947 seasons, giving credence to the "4/48" being an accurate signing time frame. Even as Ruth's failing health was quickly leading to his premature death, his devotion to the fans that idolized him so provided the impetus to create what is one of the greatest surviving specimens of a single-signed Babe Ruth baseball! Full Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA and JSA.