This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/25/2012
There is no team in the history of baseball, or of any sport for that matter, that is more highly revered than the 1927 New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Murderer's Row," they amassed a 110-44 record, winning the American League Pennant by 19 games and sweeping the Pirates in the World Series. In that season, Babe Ruth famously smacked his then single-season record 60 HRs and Lou Gehrig, the American League MVP, batted .373 with 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 HRs, and a then-record 175 RBIs. And they got plenty of help as well; Earle Combs batted .356 with 231 hits, left fielder Bob Meusel hit .337 with 103 RBIs, and Tony Lazzeri batted in 102 runs. As a team, they batted .307 and outscored their competition by an unprecedented 376 runs. Offered is an incredibly rare Official American League baseball signed in 1927 by "Murderer's Row" members Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, and Bob Meusel. While many similar offerings claim to be from the fabled 1927 season, the evidence that this brilliant sphere was actually penned in '27 is rock solid! The line "PAT'D MAR. 17-25" on this Ban Johnson stamped ball was used only in 1927 while Babe Ruth's signature has quotation marks around "Babe," a practice he discontiued after 1927. Ruth's signature is sprawled across the sweet spot, with Meusel and Gehrig to his right and Lazzeri's faded but visible autograph directly above the Ban Johnson stamp. While the Ruth, Gehrig, and Meusel signatures are light but completely legible, the scan does not do them justice and they appear better in person. The bi-color stitched Reach ball is in fantastic condition with the manufacturer's stamp appearing almost like new. Four incredibly rare autographs from the greatest team in sports history, signed in 1927! LOA from PSA/DNA.