Memorabilia

1927 Babe Ruth Babe Comes Home Lobby Card

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When REA, then a division of MastroNETInc. offered this 1927 Babe Ruth “Babe Comes Home” lobby card for sale in their July 2000 catalog, it was the only example of this particular type known to exist.

Here’s the lot’s description:

The best Babe Ruth lobby card in the world! Full color lobby card (14″ x 11″) from the 1927 First National Pictures release of “Babe Comes Home” features Ruth in uniform at bat. This is the only known example of this lobby card, and one of only several “Babe Comes Home’ lobby cards known to exist in the entire collecting world. This extraordinary rarity is highly prized in both the baseball and movie collectible field. There is some undetectable professional restoration otherwise in Near Mint to Mint condition.

Another example appears to have popped up since the REA sale; Heritage sold the following one in March 2011 for $2390.

Perhaps it’s changed hands a few more times since, but it’s currently listed on eBay (August 2024) with an asking price of $9,500. The seller wrote that it was one of two known in the item’s description. They also said it was one of a set of eight scene cards.

UCLA Legends Limited Edition Signed Lithograph

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I scanned this advertisement for a ‘limited edition signed lithograph honoring the most dominating collegiate basketball force in history’ from Alan Kayes Sports Cards News & Price Guides Number 5 from April 1992.

Just 2,500 of these 26” x 43” lithographs were printed, and all were signed by Coach Wooden and six of the Bruins’ all-time basketball greats: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Gail Marques Johnson, Keith Erickson, and Mike Warren. Historical Properties priced them at $595.

Today, quite a few are available on eBay; ‘Mill Creek Sports’ has ten, each for $599.

‘Magical World of Sports’ is offering a framed copy for $799.99, ‘AutographForSale’ has one for $899.99, and ‘dary.holl’ has another with an asking price of $1k. I haven’t seen any copies sold on eBay, though.

Early 1950’s P-F Canvas Shoes Advertising Sign Featuring Musial, Doerr, Campy, Lemon, and Rizzuto

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Here’s an awesome advertisement, scanned from a June 2005 auction catalog for B.F. Goodrich P-F Canvas Shoes featuing a slew of MLB legends.

A few years later, in 2013, Lelands sold a framed copy of the awesome stadium-designed cardboard ad, mentioning that it measures 19” x 25”. They also highlighted the inclusion of Sam Jethroe as an early African American promotion—that copy sold for $640.

If you look around, you’ll find several variations dating later into the ’50s that include legends like Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays. However, if you want them in your collections, they’ll cost you many thousands of dollars. Luckily, they all feature floating heads!

Pete Rose & Bart Giamatti Signed 1983 All-Star Game First Day Cover

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How’s this for rare and historically significant: a Pete Rose and Bart Giamatti signed 1983 All-Star Game First-Day Cover?!

If you weren’t aware:

Giamatti served as Commissioner for only five months before dying suddenly of a heart attack. He is the shortest-tenured baseball commissioner in the sport’s history and the only holder of the office not to preside over a full Major League Baseball season. Giamatti’s most notable act as Commissioner was to negotiate the agreement resolving the Pete Rose betting scandal in which Rose was permitted to voluntarily withdraw from the sport to avoid further punishment.

Wikipedia

This first-day cover was a part of Mastro’s March 2006 Classic Collector Auction.

1939 Babe Ruth Signed Advertising Contract

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Here’s an incredible advertising contract featuring the full-name signature of “George H Babe Ruth.”

The fully executed agreement was signed by a representative of the National Broadcasting Company in March 1939, and states the final terms for what I guess was the severing of the relationship that had provided for Ruth’s endorsement on behalf of Red Rock Bottlers, Inc.

You can see that the EX/MT document came with a PSA/DNA certification. It was auctioned off in December 2004.

The Only Known Scorecard From Cy Young’s 1904 Perfect Game

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Here’s the only known scorecard from Cy Young’s 1904 Perfect Game vs. Rube Waddell, the first perfect game in AL History. Sotheby’s offered it in their June 2005 Important Sports Memorabilia and Cards auction.

I’ve never been a big collector of this sort of memorabilia unless the scorecard advertised sports cards, too, but this one is so historically significant that I felt it was worth highlighting.

Here’s the full item description copied from the catalog:

One of the most consistent and durable pitchers the game has ever known, Denton True “Cy” Young won 511 games almost 100 more than any other pitcher in history. He won 30 games five times and topped 20 wins an astounding 15 times. In 1901 Young had his best season and became the fledgling American League’s first superstar, leading the junior circuit in wins, strikeouts and ERA. His greatest single performance, however, would come on May 5, 1904 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston. In an epic showdown against future Hall of Famer Rube Waddell and the Connie Mack led Athletics Young threw the first perfect game in American League history. In the ninth inning with two outs, Connie Mack sent Waddell (the pitcher) to the plate. Cy Young popped him out on a fly ball to center capping his 3-0 masterpiece. Not a single ball was hit hard by the Athletics and Mack himself commented that this was the most impressive game ever pitched. Young’s extraordinary nine-inning performance was at the center of what may be the most amazing streak of pitching excellence in baseball history. All told, the right-hander pitched 24 consecutive innings without surrendering a hit. Prior to his perfect game on May 5, Young had pitched two hitless innings at the end of a loss on April 25, and seven innings of hitless relief on April 30. In his first outing after blitzing the Athletics, he stretched his hitless streak to 24 innings against Detroit on May 11 In a 1-0 victory, Young failed to allow a hit until future Hall of Fame outfielder Sam Crawford broke the hitless streak with one out in the seventh. Offered here is the only known original scorecard from Cy Young’s historic perfect game on May 5, 1904. The six-page scorecard features pre-printed lineups at the centerfold for that day including pitchers Young and Waddell. Every at-bat has been neatly recorded in pencil by its original owner. A small composite image of the Red Sox team appears on the first page. The interior pages have loosened from the spine, which has been reinforced by clear tape. Minor soiling and general wear do not significantly detract from its presentation quality. Very good condition overall.

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