(LOT 23)
c. 1920 Advertising Card Babe Ruth/Carl Mays Stars Special Tour SGC 3 VG
Pitchers Carl Mays and a very young Babe Ruth (20) went 159-96 for the Boston Red Sox from 1915 to 1919 when Mays was traded to the New York Yankees in mid-July. They led the BoSox to three World Championships, going 5-1 with three complete games and one shutout in five starts. They were fast friends who were each dealt to the New York Yankees in 1919, continuing their friendship, but moreover for Yankees fans, their dominance. The Babe soon was the toast of the town as he revolutionized the speed game into a power game, hammering massive home runs over fences in ballpark after ballpark. His exploits on the diamond were legendary and garnered him notoriety around the world. And with all of that fame came immense opportunity. The Bambino was an advertiser's dream, and ultimately Hollywood beckoned as the Sultan of Swat was tapped for films like baseball themed Headin' Home and Babe Comes Home.

Following the 1920 season, Mays and Ruth put together a barnstorming tour to spread baseball across the nation during the off-season featuring a handful of big leaguers. Along with Bob Meusel, Jack Quinn, and Fred Hoffman among others, Ruth and Mays played primarily local semipro or African American teams around the country until late October. It would be one of the last off-season tours as newly appointed baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis forbade World Series participants from barnstorming following the 1921 campaign. And though most players adhered to the prohibition, Mays included, Ruth would later barnstorm, most notably with teammate Lou Gehrig as the Bustin' Babes and Larrupin' Lous.

As an advertisement for the Babe Ruth/Carl Mays Stars 1920 tour, New York tour promoter "Direction Jess, Lynch, Savage Enterprises" released two trading cards featuring the Babe with one throwing and one batting. The offered is the latter of the two, presented in an SGC 3 VG holder. This circa-1920 Advertising Card – Babe Ruth, Carl Mays Stars Special Tour – Babe Ruth Batting issue is one of the only examples that is known to exist. The card displays a Ruth photo after just driving a base hit to left as he takes off for first. The image is clean and clear with the card showing little signs of aging aside from a slight crease at the upper left corner. Overall, the corners remain evenly rounded and the borders only show scattered light touches. The back is clean. Memory Lane had the pleasure of offering a PSA 1.5 Fair example of this card in our Winter 2024 Rarities Auction last year and it achieved a staggering sale price of over $61,000.00. This is undoubtably one of Babes rarest cardboard keepsakes.

MIN BID $7,500
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