Babe Ruth may be gone from the sport, but his memories endure, as apparent by the recent sale of his bat for nearly $2 million.
Babe Ruth Lives On
Nearly 90 years after his last appearance on the diamond, the legacy of the Great Bambino endures.
Earlier this week, a Babe Ruth baseball bat made history.
A Babe Ruth baseball bat recently became the most expensive bat ever sold at a price tag of $1.85 million, surpassing the prior record of $1.68 million, which was also held by a Ruth bat.
“This baseball bat is as close to a work of art as the medium can allow,” Dave Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions, which facilitated the sale, said, via MLB.com. “When holding the 44.6-ounce weapon that Babe once used to pummel baseballs into the bleachers at New York’s Polo Grounds, it becomes immediately obvious as to the importance of this amazing baseball artifact. Equally impressive to the record price established is the enduring legacy that Ruth left for seemingly endless generations of fans who continue to revere his legend — both on and off of the baseball field.”
The recently sold Babe Ruth baseball bat, which set a record as the most expensive bat ever sold, dates back to Ruth’s playing days with the New York Yankees in the 1920s and was originally auctioned off at the Polo Grounds.
Interestingly, the original owner of the bat did not purchase it; it was given to him as a gift by his boss.
“I am very familiar with the ‘Polo Grounds’ Babe Ruth bat, bringing it into the hobby 30 years ago,” John Taube of PSA Pro Bat Services said. “I remember vividly the excitement that surrounded the day it was being hand delivered to my home by the original owner. When I first picked the bat up like all collectors, I was amazed at the 44-plus ounce weight of the bat, wondering how Ruth could swing it. The rich brown patina and the Ruth characteristics that were present, then and now, establish the bat as one of the premier Babe Ruth game used bats in any collection, public or private.”
Not only is the $1.85 million price tag noteworthy, but the size of the Babe Ruth baseball bat itself is also significant.
Weighing in at 44 ounces, it is much heavier than today’s standard baseball bat, which typically ranges between 32 and 33 ounces.
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