Lot # 1707: 1925 Babe Ruth in Dugout PSA Type 1 Encapsulated Photo – Measures Approx. 3-1/2” x 4-1/2” - PSA Type I Encapsulation

Category: Photos

Starting Bid: $300.00

Bids: 6 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
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Item was in Auction "Fall Rarities Auction 2021",
which ran from 9/25/2021 12:00 PM to
10/9/2021 7:00 PM




(LOT 1707)
1925 Babe Ruth in Dugout PSA Type 1 Encapsulated Photo Measures Approx. 3-1/2" x 4-1/2" - PSA Type I Encapsulation

Having just turned 30 years old for the 1925 season, the "Sultan of Swat" showed up to spring training immensely overweight, weighing approximately 270 lbs. The "good life" was starting to negatively impact his entire body and performance, with Ruth "indulging in excessive food, broads and booz"; as teammate Joe Dugan so eloquently summarized the "Babe's" deteriorating social lifestyle. His immense gorging of food and alcoholic beverages eventually led to him to suffer serious stomach pains and a high fever near the end of spring training, with Ruth collapsing on a train to New York and immediately hospitalized.

Dubbed by the press as "the bellyache heard around the world", Ruth was suffering from an intestinal infection/abscess (in short, an ulcer) that required surgery and placed him on an extended leave of action. The Babe would miss 40 games before returning to the Yankees, and throughout the season would be involved in additional suspensions that would force him to partake in only 98 games. His dismal 25 home runs, 67 RBIs and .290 batting average (by his lofty standards) was the worst offensive output of his Yankees career (save for his last season), resulting in the Yankees winning only 69 games and finishing in 7th place. This 3-1/2" x 4-1/2" PSA Type 1 photo portrays Ruth in the Yankee Stadium dugout on June 21st of that forgettable 1925 campaign.

Depicting somewhat light contrast, Ruth is donning his pinstripe uniform while holding a bat with an attached banner reading: "BABE RUTH AMATEUR CONTEST ROCHESTER JOURNAL AMERICAN 1925. There is a flip side pencil notation that reads: "Yankee Stadium June 21, 1925 by Mr. Bihler". While we are not sure how Mr. Bihler was involved with this image, what we do know is that he was a renowned reporter for the New York Herald and a close friend of Ruth and Gehrig. An interesting Ruthian keepsake from 1925, it reminds us of how the immortal Babe Ruth nearly "ate and drank himself to death" before the start of the 1925 season, nearly succumbing to the most notarized bellyache in baseball history!

MIN BID $300
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