(LOT 43)
1921 E121 Babe Ruth ("Babe" in Quotes) – PSA VG 3
In 1921, the American Caramel Company of Lancaster and York Pennsylvania re-ignited the baseball card market with its landmark E121 candy set. With 80 different subjects represented by fine black & white player images, and similar to the renowned 1916 Felix Mendelsohn M101 and Boston Store/Collins-McCarthy/Standard Biscuit 1917 issues, the most prestigious and sought-after player in the 1921 E121 set is Babe Ruth. One of the highly coveted pre-war cards, a PSA 6 has sold for a staggering $116K; a PSA 5 specimen realized nearly $44K; a PSA 4.5 fetched $42K, a PSA 3.5 sold for $30K and two PSA 2's have recently surpassed the $20K mark! Indeed, the floodgates have opened for this magnificent Ruth subject that was undervalued for so long, especially considering it represents a mere fraction of the thousands of existing Ruth Goudeys. With that in mind, presented here is a superb 1921 E121 "Babe" Ruth residing in a PSA VG 3 holder. This offering features Ruth with his hallowed "BABE" name in quotes, and is one of only 7 PSA examples at this desirable plateau.

More significantly, PSA has encapsulated only 44 of these rather obscure Ruth subjects, with its coupled scarcity and imposing Babe Ruth Red Sox pitching image placing it as one of the foremost "Sultan of Swat" cards extant. Before the 1920 season, Ruth had been traded from the Red Sox to the New York Yankees with Boston owner Harry Frazee selling Ruth for the hefty price tag of $125,000. True, Frazee loved baseball, but his first passion was producing Broadway hits and he desperately needed money to help fund his new show "No, No Nanette". History was in the making and in his first season with the Yankees, Ruth annihilated his 1919 home run record of 29 round trippers by walloping an amazing 54 home runs. In the process, unfathomable as it may seem, Ruth belted more dingers than virtually every Major-League team, establishing himself as the greatest player to ever grace a baseball diamond! The "Sultan of Swat" would continue his assault on opposing pitchers the year this renowned E121 Ruth baseball card was issued, belting 59 home runs in the 1921 season which stood as the pinnacle mark for only six seasons when Ruth once again broke his own record by tallying his renowned 60 mark in 1927.

For these reasons alone, Ruth's early 1920's cards are highly sought after by elite enthusiasts since they represent an era when Ruth was in the process of revolutionizing baseball. Further enticing collectors to capturing this magnificent Babe Ruth cardboard marvel is the fact that he is donning an early Red Sox uniform. In fact, this is the EXACT pose affixed to his ultra-scarce 1917 Boston Store, Collins-McCarthy, Standard Biscuit issues, and it just happens to suffice as a true 1915 rookie Ruth image, originally taken at the Red Sox 1915 Hot Springs, Arkansas spring training facility. We can only assume that since Ruth had only played a single season with the Yankees, rather than seeking out one of his first-year Yankee images, the American Caramel Company took the "easy road" by utilizing an already existing Red Sox pitching pose. The neat aspect of this card is that it represents Babe Ruth as a New York Yankee while still featuring him in his Boston uniform.

Regarding aesthetics, the black & white image portrays outstanding contrast and crystal- clear clarity as Ruth delivers another tantalizing pitch in his Bo-Sox uniform. The bold and vivid text beneath his iconic pose portrays the "BABE" RUTH name in quotes, and the "R.F.- New York Americans" typography is likewise completely intact. Even more impressive is that the hallowed image atypically depicts near-perfect 50/50 centering, with many of these 1921 Ruth subjects reflecting skewed images. The borders reveal some standard toning, and the corners show wear consistent with the assessment. The only notable flaw is a diminutive surface abrasion residing directly beneath Ruth's left armpit, and there is some negligible surface flaking along the upper right inside frame. The final exclamation point is a modestly toned American Caramel "Series of Eighty" ad back, with this grandeur offering surely one of Ruth's most exalted cardboard mementos. Simply stated, this artifact provides the collector an abundance of attributes including an eye pleasing early 1920's Ruth card, a Boston Red Sox Ruth "rookie era" image, and considering the hobby's current soaring cardboard pricing, an issue that has not even remotely approached the pinnacle level of its seemingly infinite-like value!

MIN BID $4,000
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