(LOT 5)
Extremely Scarce 1927 Christy Walsh Check Payable To & Signed by Babe Ruth - PSA 8 NM-MT AUTO GRADE
The 1927 campaign would see the mighty New York Yankees absolutely crush their opposition, virtually "cake walking" to their second World Championship with a climactic 4-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The dynamic duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig led this historic squad, with their record setting assault on the fences eventually leading to the Bambino's unfathomable 60 home runs. A myriad of Americans were captivated by these incredible sluggers for the past several years, prompting Ruth and Gehrig's renowned agent Christy Walsh to capitalize on their unparalleled popularity by paying them significant royalties for their mass-promotional use. Indeed, the clever Christy Walsh, especially with respect to Ruth, jumped on the Babe's "popularity bandwagon" for purposes of generating lucrative income for his Christy Walsh Syndicate as well as padding the pockets of the great "Sultan of Swat". A classic example of this promotional effort was Walsh organizing a Continental U.S. tour directly after the 1927 World Series. Dubbed the "Bustin' Babes and Larrupin' Lou's Barnstorming tour, Ruth and Gehrig would play in towns/cities without Major League ball clubs in order to provide deprived fans a grand opportunity to see these legendary giants.

Starting in New York and sweeping across America to the California coast, Ruth and Gehrig would be the sole Major League players, with each respective town providing local players to round out the teams. Both young and old admirers of these baseball icons were afforded their "once in a lifetime" opportunity to see the two Yankee stars perform live, and the tour was such a huge success that it was repeated in the fall of 1928 after the Yankees claimed their second consecutive championship. Needless to say, Christy Walsh was now ably assisting these two baseball icons in achieving "financial freedom" via the immense publicity bestowed upon them throughout the 1920s, resulting in an abundance of marketing endeavors and publicity stunts. Presented here just happens to be an extremely rare Christy Walsh Syndicate check payable to the immortal George Herman Ruth in the amount of $1,812.93. A near-impossible to find artifact, its paucity level even outdistances a Babe Ruth Yankee payroll check, and we cannot recall when the last Christy Walsh Syndicate check endorsed by Ruth was offered to the general public. Of utmost significance, the check was issued on August 8, 1927, the same year the legendary New York Yankees would provide their fans with arguably their greatest campaign.

By August 8th, the Yankees were in the midst of making a mockery of their American League opponents, holding a firm 12-game lead over the second place Washington Senators via their outstanding 76-31 record (.710 wining percentage). The Yankees would ultimately claim the A.L. Pennant with a staggering 110 wins, a colossal 19-game margin over the distant second-place Philadelphia Athletics, then moving on to sweep the Pirates in the Fall Classic. Issued to Ruth as part of his "royalty fees", the $1,812.93 was drawn against the Harriman National Bank of New York, with the "Pay to the Order" line reflecting a typed black ink "Geo. H. Babe Ruth." Christy Walsh has signed the lower right portion of the check in bold blue fountain pen, with this check number 5655 revealing an imposing THE CHRISTY WALSH SYNDICATE - NEWSPAPER SERVICE red caption across the top. Of course, the most momentous aspect of the check is the Babe's classic "G.H. Ruth" signature on the reverse side, scripted in bold blue fountain pen and appropriately awarded the highly-coveted PSA 8 NM-MT autograph assessment. Situated directly above Ruth's timeless script is the following verbiage: "On a/c Syndicate Royalty 1927 account - This check applied as part payment additional Trust Fund." As the AUG 9, 1927 bank cancellation stamp clearly indicates, it didn't take Ruth long to cash Walsh's check, most likely contributing some of this income towards the abundance of hot dogs and beer he would indulge in on a daily basis.

Amazingly, no tears, chips or glaring surface blemishes are evident, and of the utmost importance, the bank cancellation holes situated near the upper edge atypically do not compromise the hallowed "G.H. Ruth" script. An enthralling heirloom from Ruth's most iconic season, it conjures up vivid memories of how this "giant of a man" dominated baseball in a far superior manner to any player who ever played the game. Ruth out-homered virtually every MLB team in the early 1920s, and his infinite-like number of colossal blasts revolutionized baseball during an era when the game was on the brink of disaster due to the infamous "Black-Sox" 1919 World Series scandal that threatened the integrity of America's favorite pastime. His incomparable diamond achievements coupled with his enchanting persona substantiate why he is our National Pastime's greatest all-time player, with his unbridled popularity second to none. It is therefore with great pride and excitement that we present one of his rarest mementos to the collecting community, with this ultra-elusive offering issued during Ruth's illustrious 1927 campaign and residing as one of the few known Christy Walsh syndicate checks endorsed by Babe Ruth. It is no secret that the plethora of regular Babe Ruth signed checks are now achieving $10,000+ price tags, and with that in mind, we will let the sophisticated enthusiast decide what this ultra-scarce keepsake issued during the height of Ruth's playing excellence is truly worth!

MIN BID $5,000