(LOT 406)
1933 Blue Bird Babe Ruth "Front View" (PSA NM/MT+ 8.5) – "1 of 2 PSA 8.5 Examples"; HIGHEST GRADED Example on the Combined PSA & SGC "Pop" Charts!
If you are looking for an obscure oversized Babe Ruth card from his illustrious playing days, then his 1933 Blue Bird PSA NM/MT+ 8.5 gem is the one for you. One of only 3 PSA/SGC examples at this stratospheric plateau, it proudly stands tall as the highest graded specimen on the combined PSA and SGC "Pop" Charts! In 1933, the "Blue Bird" soft drink manufacturer produced two separate Babe Ruth photo postcards with their brand advertisement on the backside. For 29 bottle caps and $1.39, anyone could receive a Babe Ruth model glove, while the same number of bottle caps and $0.89 was good enough to purchase an official Spalding baseball. With similar back advertisement, the two separate Ruth issues are distinguished by a front and sideways batting pose.

The front image should be widely recognized for it is the same Charles Conlon image portrayed on his 1933 and 1934 Goudey issues (R319 and R309-1 Premiums), with this illustration arguably residing as the most iconic Ruth batting pose on the planet! Any card of the great "Bambino" immediately arouses interest amongst the memorabilia circuit, let alone one that resides as a pinnacle example. Babe Ruth is the ultimate baseball immortal, our National Pastime's uncontested greatest all-time player which is why a seemingly infinite number of vintage enthusiasts are constantly seeking his most prestigious artifacts. Only a handful can compare to this "best of the best" oversized marvel that has somehow defied "father time" over the past 88 years.

The "Babe's" classic batting pose is splendidly portrayed in a breathtaking black & white image as he enthralls a myriad of star-struck onlookers via his majestic swing. One look at this Ruthian pose literally "freezes time", nearly transcending the viewer back to a by-gone era when the "Babe" ruled the diamond in momentous fashion. Immaculate resolution, perfect contrast, seemingly immaculate surfaces and blistering sharp corner tips strongly support the technical assessment. The final exclamation point is the verso's impeccable Blue Bird advertisement and prize redemption affixed to a super clean white background, just one of a myriad of superlatives that have miraculously left this museum worthy masterpiece in its near-original state. Spellbinding in every sense of the word and synonymous with the Babe's unparalleled legacy, this "Sultan of Swat" marvel portraying his legendary Conlon batting pose reigns supreme as the finest of its kind!

MIN BID $5,000
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