1916 M101-5 Sporting News #151 Babe Ruth PSA 7 NM

Proudly featured is one of the finest M101-5 Sporting News Babe Ruth rookie relics in the hobby. This sensational blank-backed specimen vaunts a series of exceptional characteristics that aptly compensate for its two relatively insignificant imperfections. So bold and sharp is the black and white print impression that "The Babe" appears to be hurling in Elysium, hovering before an ominous dusky cloud, as if riding into the majors on the winds of a powerful storm. The bold registration also renders perfect facial details, revealing a no-less ominous countenance on the blooming southpaw who would go 23-12 with a 1.75 ERA in the year of the M101-5 issue, with an even holier average of 0.64 in Boston's 1916 World Series defeat of the Brooklyn Robins. These virtually unimprovable image qualities are capped off by a thorough and perfectly preserved application of what still appears to be wet gloss. Standard on almost all surviving M101-5 Ruths, two light horizontal print lines extend from the right border into the center of the card, neither of which significantly impinges upon the integrity of the image. The second and only other concern is the self-evident centering which reveals a preference for the left border but not without compromising the framing effect of the simple M101-5 design. With like-new NM/MT to MINT edges meeting at sharp, marginally imperfect NM to NM/MT corners, however, these two tolerable concerns seem to disappear when the enthusiast falls under the hypnotic charm of the intent rookie southpaw. With only 1 competitor in its prominent tier at PSA and only 2 superior specimens on record, this is one of our hobby's finest rookie examples of George Herman Ruth... The Babe, The Sultan of Swat, The Great Bambino, The Colossus of Clout, The Home Run King! The marketplace has recently witnessed hyper-elevated performances in scarce and high-end Ty Cobb and Joe Jackson issues, and Babe Ruth is sure to follow (and perhaps one day eventually lead) these baseball deities into unchartered territories. When that day does come, and come it will, the proud owner of this significant Ruth will fancy himself one of the luckiest men on earth.