This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/12/2024
The turn of the century Boston Red Sox had many legendary players wear their uniform; Cy Young, Jimmy Collins, Tris Speaker, and Harry Hooper, and their greatness helped the team to World Series Championships in 1903 and 1912. But the 1915 season brought about a new talent that would help them win three of the next four championships, a pitcher named George Herman Ruth. "The Babe" was as good a hurler as any in the game, posting an 18-8 record in his first full season and a 78-40 clip with a 2.05 ERA over those four seasons. He excelled even further in the postseason with a 3-0 record and 0.87 ERA. Even the most creative baseball aficionado couldn't have envisioned that Babe Ruth would become a baseball immortal remembered for his hitting ability in New York and the centerpiece of a dynasty that would dominate for over a half-century. There are precious few photos of Babe Ruth as a rookie, a 20-year-old kid barely out of the reformatory that raised him from the age of seven. The featured original photo of the 1915 Boston Red Sox is a rare survivor that serves as one of the most significant snapshots ever dedicated to the sport of baseball, and the only known certified Type I photo of this pose, coming to us fresh to the hobby. It takes no more than a glance to spot the young legend, standing at the right end of the back row and already showing his exceptional size relative to his teammates. The worn perimeter and surface abrasions only add to the majesty of the piece, reminding the hobbyist of the significance of the moment; the most legendary figure in baseball history posing with his new teammates, essentially still a boy trying to prove his worth in a man's world. Twenty years hence, George Herman Ruth left the game with 7 World Series championships and a long list of major-league records, including a career home run total that would stand for almost 40 years. Great players, even legends, will come and go, but there was only one Babe Ruth, and this supreme photo captures the start of what would be an unprecedented career that left an indelible mark on American history!