There may be no greater pairing in the history of sport than that of Babe Ruth and Louisville Slugger. Beginning with his early days as a pitcher for the Red Sox, Babe Ruth wielded a Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger almost exclusively through his retirement in 1935. His association with the brand led to his store model – the famous 40BR – being the bat every aspiring ballplayer wanted to own and making it one of the company’s best-selling products. To this day, these retail model bats are widely sought after, with the majority being found in poor condition.

This stunning example bucks the trend not just for condition but also for what has been added to it. This 34-inch retail model Hillerich & Bradsby 40BR model bat has been signed by the Babe along the barrel above his stamped signature. The black fountain pen signature is bold against the planed wood and exhibits almost no bleeding to the ink, making itself one of the finest examples of a Ruth on-bat signature. The bat itself has a pleasing warm, dark brown patina with the factory stamping on the center brand and barrel contrasting nicely. The length “34” is stamped into the barrel and there are some scuffs and dings in its surface, none affecting the signature. A beautiful example of the Babe’s signature on the tool that made him famous. This bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA for the signature, which has been graded NM-MT 8.