This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/27/2010
Who could have possibly guessed that a baby-faced transplant from Baltimore via a stop over in Boston,who landed in a Yankees uniform would turn out to be the saving grace of a national pastime, the veritable personification of resurgence in the faith of a sport widely regarded as corrupt and scandalous as a result of the 1919 Black Sox affair? That's exactly how George Herman Ruth impacted the face of professional baseball, a larger than life superhero who transcended the nefarious image of the game and returned it to its scrupulous and untainted form. Presented is an amazing homage to the hero of the period, a spectacular original photograph of the Babe in post-swing follow through, eyes tracking the trajectory of a just-swatted ball as it careens through the air towards a resting place in the stands. The black and white photo displays with stunning contrast and clarity, with exposed measurements (as mounted in a frame matting) of 9 3/4" x 7 5/8". The photo itself would certainly be enticing on its own, yet it becomes a true collector's treasure by virtue of the spectacular autograph placed upon it by Ruth itself. So spectacular is the signature, in fact, that it recently earned a head-spinning grade of "10" from the graders at PSA/DNA. Placed strategically in a lighter area of the photo so as to afford maximum visibility and differentiation from the background, the script is in black steel tip ink, and reads "To Red Ass Walker, Sincerely, Babe Ruth." The vintage of the photo, while not known exactly, certainly appears to be at the late prime of his career, and it is most likely that the Walker in question is Dixie Walker, Ruth's teammate during the 1931 and 1933-36 campaigns. The somewhat profane terminology has been known to refer to a player who was often times less than cooperative, or even a complainer. The photo itself shows a handful of obtrusions to the paper stock but is easily EX/MT or better in terms of strength; however, the resplendent autograph, graded a solid 10, more than makes up for any imperfections in the medium. This is quite literally the nicest Ruth autograph ever to come through our offices, and is without question worthy of the very top echelon of world-class memorabilia collections. LOA from Steve Grad PSA/DNA.