(LOT 16)
1929-30 Rogers Peet #48 Babe Ruth PSA 6.5 EX-MT+ - POP 1; Only 2 PSA Examples Graded Higher!
BAMBINO POP 1 RARITY!!! One of the scarcest pre-WWII sports card issues is the multi-sport Rogers Peet black and white blank-backed cards. Assumingly distributed in 1929 and 1930, these Rogers Peet rarities are the result of a promotional effort involving a New York and Boston based chain of stores. Boys visiting stores with a parent were eligible to receive four cards to be placed in a 14-page album. Similar to the 1932 U.S. Caramel and 1933 Sport Kings sets issued a few years later, the Rogers Peet compilation includes an array of legendary athletes from various sports, in this case 48 total subjects representing baseball, hockey, track, golf, tennis, track & field, and football. There are only seven documented baseball subjects, with the "famous seven" including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Walter Johnson, Tris Speaker, Rogers Hornsby and Dazzy Vance. Obviously, the set's most desirable and valuable player is none other than the incomparable Babe Ruth, presented here in a spectacular PSA 6.5 holder. As the sole PSA example at this eye-pleasing plateau, only two PSA 7s have been graded higher! One of the rarest Babe Ruth cards issued during his playing days, PSA has only encapsulated a meager eight total specimens, with this seldom-surfacing keepsake worthy of a final resting place in any esteemed Ruth gathering.

Closing out the eclectic Rogers Peet set as the final #48 subject, it would make perfect sense that Rogers Peet would include Ruth on their multi-sport checklist considering the Babe was now a global icon. This set was issued fresh off the heels of the Yankees second consecutive championship, with the Yankees sweeping the overmatched Cardinals in the 1928 Fall Classic. The dynamic duo of Ruth and Gehrig paved the way for this Yankees dynasty (Gehrig is also included in the set as subject #28), and a hoard of companies desperately trying to utilize Ruth's hallowed name to market their brands. Just the mention of George Herman Ruth's sanctified name immediately arouses anyone's attention, and why not? At this juncture, he was the king of all baseball players, with his unprecedented number of home runs, including a record-breaking 60 dingers in 1927, officially revolutionizing the grand old game. Most significantly, the classic Babe Ruth batting pose is an iconic Christy Walsh Syndicate image originally taken at a 1921 Polo Grounds game and also utilized on the Babe's 1932 Astra-Margarine and various 1932 Sanella issues.

We know with 100% certainty that this image is from the 1921 campaign since the Yankees only wore their white caps during Ruth's Big Apple tenure in 1921. Incidentally, that is also the season the Colossus of Swat would wallop 59 round-trippers, surpassing his 54-homer mark from the previous 1920 campaign. The sparkling Ruth illustration is awe-inspiring, to say the least, as the Bambino has just completed his mighty swing, most likely crushing another horsehide sphere towards the furthest confines of the Polo Ground's grandstands. Crystal-clear clarity, spot-on contrast, crisp surfaces, dazzling white borders, and right-angled corners are the highlights of this 94-year-old marvel that has eluded any obtrusive flaws, stubbornly defying time via its pack-fresh appearance. The only notable imperfection preventing a higher grade is the image favoring the right edge, yet as previously stated, its utmost rarity and captivating Sultan of Swat batting pose place it as one of the most desirable Ruth cards extant. Indeed, this extremely elusive Rogers Peet Pop 1 heirloom is certainly destined to fill that painstaking void in one of the premier Ruth collections on the planet!

MIN BID $10,000
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