Babe Ruth 100th Anniversary Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2014
They were the best power duo to ever play the game, so closely aligned in their careers when you hear the name Babe Ruth, you think of Lou Gehrig, and vice versa. They hit in the lineup next to each other for almost ten seasons, and would barnstorm together for extra cash. It might have been during one of these encounters at a major league stadium or the barnstorming tour where this dual signed ball was signed.
There have been quite a few of these specimens to surface, as it was always a prize for a child to get either The Bambino or The Iron Horse to sign your baseball, but to get BOTH to sign your baseball….well, that was like your birthday and Christmas morning all rolled into one. But what distinguishes this example from most of the other dual signed Ruth-Gehrig baseballs is the placement of each signature. Babe Ruth is, of course, broadly displayed on the sweet spot, but the “Lou Gehrig” signature is penned directly below Ruth’s, as if he was next in the batting order, which he was most of the time. Interestingly, some early years Ruth hit fourth behind Gehrig, but by the time numbers were worn in 1929, they had their normal batting order of Ruth and Gehrig cemented in baseball lore. Most of the time, Gehrig penned his signature at an angle away from Ruth’s where the ball, when displayed, would not exhibit both signatures in a normal viewing format. This ball displays both reading left to right in normal viewing fashion.
The Official American League (Barnard) red-and-blue stitched baseball has some portions of the original stampings worn away, but what remains are bold and bright blue, and the “E.S. Barnard” stamp is complete and fully legible. The stamp with “PAT’D No. 1, 530, 410” below the league stamp indicates this ball was used during the 1928-1929 seasons. Both signatures are bold, black fountain pen beauties, with Ruth grading a solid “8” in boldness/strength, with Gehrig rating a (“7”). Both panels east and west of the Ruth signature have some scrapes and even a small gouge near the Reach stamp on the east panel, but the area of the sweet spot is completely unaffected by any of the imperfections. The “u” in the Gehrig signature is touched lightly by a small scrape, and there is a small discoloration touching the loop in the capital “L”. Neither of these marks affects the beauty of the Gehrig signature and is mentioned strictly for the sake of accuracy.
This is an exceptional example of the most desirable of all dual signed baseballs, beautifully displaying signatures of the most legendary "one-two" punch in baseball history, one which is truly presentable as a dual signed. Comes with a full LOA from PSA/DNA.