On April 9, 1974, Jane Sargent sent a Western Union Telegram from Weymouth, Massachusetts congratulating Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron after Aaron hit the 715th home run of his career, breaking Babe Ruth’s record of 714. Aaron broke the legendary record on April 8, 1974 in front of a home crowd of 53,775 cheering fans, two of which hopped the fence and attempted to run the bases with him. And was greeted by teammates and his parents at home plate. Aaron, never fully comfortable with the attention the chase to break Ruth’s record brough, was noted by famed Dodgers’ broadcaster Vin Scully who remarked “…And for the first time in a long time, that poker face in Aaron shows the tremendous strain and relief of what it must have been like to live with for the past several months. Aaron would retire after the 1976 season with 755 home runs during a career that saw Aaron named to 25 All-Star Games, a World Series championship and NL MVP in 1957, and four NL home run leader awards.

This presented telegraph is 8 x 5 ½ -inches on yellow paper. “WESTERN UNION” and “TELEGRAM” appear at the top of the telegram in yellow. The telegram reads “CONGRATULATIONS HENRY YOU’RE THE BABE RUTH OF MY LIFETIME JANE SARGENT” and was signed by Aaron with a black ballpoint pen just below the congratulation message. The signature is bold and the telegram is in excellent condition. The signed telegram congratulating Aaron on his 715th home run comes with a COA from JSA (E04356).

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