(LOT 658)
c.1920's Babe Ruth "King of Swat" Type I Underwood & Underwood Photo – Measures Approx. 6" x 8" - PSA Type 1 Encapsulation
This remarkable c.1920s Type 1 PSA Encapsulated photo is appropriately dubbed "THE KING OF SWAT" for it represents baseball's greatest slugger and all-time player George Herman "Babe" Ruth at the peak of his incomparable career! In typical fashion, Ruth is holding his colossal lumber as he stands in the Yankee Stadium dugout anxiously awaiting the moment when he will wallop another mighty homer to the furthest confines of this cathedral-like ballpark. What an imposing look of fierce determination as the Bambino selects the period-style bat he will use to wage war with his next opposing pitcher. Yankee Stadium makes the perfect backdrop for this spine-tingling illustration taken during the decade that Ruth would clout a staggering 467 round-trippers, averaging an unfathomable 47 home runs per season.

Indeed, Ruth revolutionized our National Pastime forever via his tape measure homers that quickly changed the philosophy of baseball from "small-ball" to "long-ball". Measuring approximately 6' x 8", the borderless image reveals superb contrast and resolution, depicting only a few negligible light wrinkles and/or scratches that do not impede the breathtaking aesthetics. The verso includes several Underwood & Underwood credit stamps and a critical caption that reads: "THE KING OF SWAT – GEORGE HERMAN "BABE" RUTH – PHOTO SHOWS - George Herman "Babe" Ruth – The King of Swat, the ace batter of the Yankee Baseball Team now leading in the race for the American League Pennant. PHOTO #3155A1 shows Babe Ruth showing proper way to hold bat." One of the most striking pre-1920's Ruth batting photos extant, the combination of a determined Babe Ruth holding onto one of his sanctified pieces of lumber with a Yankee Stadium backdrop are more than enough superlatives to earn it a secure place in any esteemed photo gathering!

MIN BID $750
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