(LOT 4)
Extraordinary 1927 Babe Ruth Home Run #13 Baseball Single-Signed by Babe Ruth & dated "5-29-'27" – Full PSA/DNA & Provenance From its Family Owner
It was the legendary Mark Twain who was once quoted: "the two most important days of our lives are the day we were born with the second being a clear understanding of why we were born?…clearly uncovering our true purpose in life! With regard to the immortal George Herman "Babe" Ruth, significant day number one was his February 6, 1895 birth date. Regarding his life's true resolve, it is clearly obvious to his seemingly infinite fan base that Ruth's major purpose on this planet was to captivate an adoring Nation via his unparalleled skill set for swatting baseballs consistently further than anyone who ever came before him. His incredible array of mammoth-like round trippers reached stratospheric heights in the Yankees remarkable 1927 campaign when the "Sultan of Swat" blasted a magical 60-homers, literally turning the baseball world upside down. Even to this day, the prestige associated with that then record-breaking mark has remained in baseball folklore, and while Ruth's record has since been eclipsed, no player can possibly exceed the uncontested stature of Ruth's majestic 60-mark that holds a heartwarming place in the hearts and minds of historically biased enthusiasts.

That said, Memory Lane is proud to now offer the collecting community one of the most miraculous keepsakes we have ever had the honor of handling. Presented here just happens to be the EXACT BASEBALL Babe Ruth swatted for home run#13 of that magical 1927 campaign! On May 29, 1927, the Yankees hosted their arch rival Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium and were clinging to an 8-7 lead entering the bottom of the 8th inning. Murderer's Row then poured it on, scoring 8 runs in their last-half of the eight-inning with one of the runs being a solo-home run off of the bat of the great Bambino. The 13th home run of the glorious '27 season, Ruth clouted this round-tripper into the left field seats off of overmatched Red Sox twirler Danny MacFayden, with the Yankees ultimately winning the game by a 15-7 score. One of only a handful of existing Ruth homer balls from his 60-homer season, it has also been faintly signed on the sweet spot by Ruth with PSA/DNA's magnification technology required to view the Babe Ruth single-script.

The PSA LOA has also identified a May 29, 1927 date on the South Panel as further justification of this ball's HR#13 stature. Most significant is the provenance that is associated with this Cooperstown Worthy horsehide sphere that is an Official American League Baseball (American League stamping is still visible). As the story goes, a lovely lady named Anna Catherine Peeker Lownds (born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 27, 1927) had an uncle named John Peeker who was a devout Yankee fan. It just so happens that her Uncle Peeker attended the Yankees/Red Sox game on May 29, 1927, sitting in the left-field grandstands. John caught Ruth's 13th home run of the season in the eight-inning and waited for Ruth to sign the ball after the game, also writing the visible "5-29-27" date on the ball's South Panel. The baseball Hall of Fame tried to wrestle the ball away from John Peeker for years, who ultimately declined, eventually passing the ball along to his niece's (Anna Catherine Peeker Lownds) son Jeff Lownds.

A full letter of provenance signed by Anna Catherine Peeker Lownds recapping these events is included with the ball as well as a full PSA/DNA LOA (verifying the Babe Ruth single-signed autograph and "5-29-'27" scripted date), and various copies of N.Y. Times related articles relating to the May 29, 1927 game between the Yankees and Red Sox. Interestingly enough, this ball was previously consigned to Memory Lane some 13 years ago by Jeff Lownds for our Spring 2008 auction where it sold for $18,400. The winning bidder, our esteemed consignor, has held this ball in his possession for the past 13 years, only now deciding to part with it and pass it along to another passionate collector. Obviously, the sports memorabilia market has radically changed since 2008, and we cannot even begin to determine the current value of this historically significant offering.

As previously stated, only a handful of Babe Ruth home run balls from his 60-homer season are known to exist, and most would agree this #13 Bambino HR from his historical '27 campaign merits a final resting place in Cooperstown, New York. Its sheer existence has been fully documented via the aforementioned family provenance, and while the Babe Ruth signature is difficult to see with the ball itself having seen better days, its miraculous existence as one of Ruth's 60 home runs is clearly the driving force behind its iconic stature. Some of the hobby's foremost collectors have never owned one of Ruth's 60 home run balls (including the legendary Barry Halper), with only a handful of these remaining horsehide spheres to choose from. Now, courtesy of Memory Lane, this "far-fetched dream" has all the potential to become an extraordinary reality, with the new fortunate owner emulating the incomparable Ruth himself by hitting a homer of his own via a simple final bid!

MIN BID $10,000
_