This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/14/2008
In 1934 the Babe embarked on the only overseas barnstorming tour of his illustrious career, leaving port in Vancouver on the Empress of Japan with an all-star cast consisting of Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Gomez, Earl Averill, Charlie Gehringer, and nine others under the management of Connie Mack. This “All American Team” would spread the good word of baseball throughout the Far East and parts of Europe. In a March, 2000 article, New York Times reporter, Dave Anderson, wrote, “Not long after Babe Ruth settled into the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, there was a knock at the door. He opened it to see a Japanese man in a kimono. ‘Sign baseball?’ the man asked. But as soon as the Babe autographed that baseball, the man pulled out another. Then another. And another.” The Babe’s wife, Claire, and daughter, Julia, began to laugh. “That man must have had two dozen baseballs in the sleeves of his kimono,” remembered Julia. “Daddy signed them all.” Such was the magnanimity of the Great Bambino, whose appearances throughout Japan, Shanghai, and Manila were greeted with American flags and chants of “I love Bay-bee,” despite our growing differences with the Japanese that would culminate seven years later in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In retrospect, the impact the Babe and his teammates had on internationalizing the modern game of baseball, sharing traditions and promoting American values, may never be fully appreciated. Luckily for the enthusiast with a mind for such significant cultural milestones, the man in the kimono was not alone, and various memorabilia of the famed “Tour of Japan” survive today. Offered is one of those significant remnants, a lacquered team-signed ball with prominent sigs of “Bay-bee” Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Charlie Gehringer, Earl Averill, Connie Mack, and others. The bold marks of Averill and Gehringer can be observed in the panel immediately left of Ruth’s sweet spot. The impressive Foxx signature is located immediately above Ruth and rates an 8/9. Interestingly, the Gehrig signature falls within half an inch of Ruth’s, and, though faded, presents prominently in its position between The Babe and Connie Mack instead of removed to the reverse upper panel, as was his custom. Finally, the Ruth autograph itself exhibits prominent enough penmanship and preservation for a conservative rating of 7. Offered is a superior collectible celebrating the greatest and perhaps most meaningful barnstorming tour in the history of the game. LOA from Steve Grad and Zach Rullo PSA/DNA and James Spence Authentication.