Goldin Elite Auction Closing August 22 10PM Est
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/23/2020
While Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig may not have invented “Barnstorming,” they (and Ruth’s longtime agent Christy Walsh) certainly perfected the practice during the off-seasons of 1927 and 1928, taking their names and legends to remote outposts across the country where big- league-baseball-starved fans were able to get an up close and personal look at their heroes. In a pre-cursor to modern fantasy camps many semi-pro players and locally assembled nines were also afforded the opportunity to play with and against a pair of baseball’s greatest legends. What began as “Ruth vs. Gehrig – the Battle For The Home Run Title Continues” after the pair’s exciting home run race of 1927, evolved into “Bustin’ Babe’s and Larrupin’ Lou’s Barnstorming Tour” making its way across the country with an extended stay in California.
Offered here is an 8 x 10-inch black and white photograph of the two stars and namesakes of the fabled 1927 Barnstorming Tour – Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Both greats are pictured in their classic Barnstorming uniform with Ruth in his black “BUSTIN BABES” uniform and Gehrig in his “LARRUPIN LOU’S” uni. In this classic photo, Ruth is on the left with his arm around Gehrig and Ruth looking at the camera, while Gehrig is looking off-center to his right. Both men are holding their gloves in their right hand while simultaneously leaning on a bat. A capacity crowd appears in the background. It’s important to note that this photo is not the stock photos of these two that were given out to fans at these games with two greats’ facsimile signatures. This is an original photo with no other known copies with a slightly different pose as the back of this picture also has purple Milwaukee Journal stampings and “Return to Library” in purple as well. Also stamped is the Wide World Photo. This photo is in excellent condition given its age, displaying only minor edge wear. You will not find a better photo of Ruth and Gehrig! This comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1P08125), which has classified this photograph as a Type I.