Claire Merritt Ruth was the second wife of “The Great Bambino.” A Georgia native, Claire and Babe married in 1929. They remained a couple until Babe’s tragic death from cancer in 1948. Although she spent less time in the spotlight than her husband, Mrs. Ruth had a forceful personality and loved baseball dearly. She attended baseball games, most notably those of Hank Aaron, until her death in 1976.

     This display features an 8 x 5 inch black-and-white photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Ruth at a baseball game. Babe is wearing his home Yankee jersey, and Mrs. Ruth is clad in a thick fur coat and hat. The photograph is captioned “Babe & Claire Ruth Together In ‘The House That Ruth Built’”. It is mounted in a 23 x 16 inch framed display.

     To the right of this picture is a 4.5 x 5 inch album page signed by both Babe and his wife. Claire signed the page as “Mrs. ‘Babe’ Ruth”. The signatures are of incredible quality, receiving a grade of NM-MT 8.5 from PSA/DNA, who have also encapsulated the cut. This is an indescribably rare piece of baseball history which would instantly become the centerpiece of any collection. Goldin Auctions will be donating 5% of the winning bid price of this lot and all lots in this auction to the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum.

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