(LOT 143)
1921 E253 Oxford Confectionery Babe Ruth SGC 5 EX – POP 2; Only 2 SGC Examples Graded Higher!
RARE FOR THE GRADE RUTH!!! One of the most coveted vintage cards is an early 1920s Babe Ruth Yankees issue, for there are truly a minimal number of the Babe's cards issued during his 1920-21 New York Yankee playing days. This substantiates why his 1921 Oxford Confectionery E253 subject resides as one of Ruth's most highly coveted cardboard keepsakes. Furthermore, other than his 1920 "Headin' Home" theatre cards, few people realize that Babe Ruth's 1921 Oxford issue stands as his inaugural mainstream Yankee, card revealing Ruth in his new Yankees uniform. Indeed, Ruth's 1920 Felix Mendelsohn and 1921 E121 American Caramel issues both depict the Bambino in a Boston Red Sox uniform, with only his extremely rare 1920 Headin' Home cards portraying Ruth in Yankee pinstripes or road grays. In 1921, the Oxford Confectionery Co. of Oxford, PA produced a 20-subject caramel set, considered by most experts as one of the most eclectic pre-WWI issues.

Synonymous with virtually every 1920s issue, the cream of the crop card is Babe Ruth, with the candy company appeasing Ruth's captivated fans by utilizing an image that reflects Ruth's New York road jersey. Presented here just happens to be one of the most amazing Babe Ruth E253 Oxford Confectionery subjects extant: a magnificent SGC 5 EX example that is one of only two SGC examples at this plateau with a meager two specimens graded higher! Any encapsulated E253 Ruth is highly coveted by the collecting community, let alone one that carries a mid-grade assessment and resides as one of the finest aesthetically pleasing examples on the planet. The population of 1921 Oxford Ruths is a mere fraction of the thousands of Goudey Ruths distributed in the 1930s, and its sheer condition sensitivity is justified by this example only being bested by two of its SGC peers.

At the time of its production, Babe Ruth was in the midst of setting baseball's unparalleled home run standard by belting 54 and 59 round-trippers in his first two campaigns in the Bronx, embarking on a legacy that ultimately placed him as the greatest ballplayer to ever grace a baseball diamond. His batting and pitching exploits speak for themselves, leaving an indelible mark on our beloved National Pastime. Ruth's hallowed black and white image depicts crystal-clear clarity, literally transcending us back to the origin of his early Yankee playing days when he took the Big Apple by storm via his mammoth dingers. The corners depict modest wear consistent with the grade (more notable wear is apparent at the upper right corner), and no obtrusive surface flaws are evident on either side. The verso's 20-subject checklist is completely intact, the final stamp of approval for a card that is excruciatingly tough to find with a 5 EX assessment. Just staring at the Colossal of Swat's immortal pose would give any passionate collector a myriad of goosebumps.

The Babe set the benchmark for all future sluggers, with no player able to match Ruth's iconic stature and overwhelming batting feats, one of which was out-homering virtually every MLB squad in the early 1920s. It should be noted that this exact same example sold for $39K in a Memory Lane auction nearly three years ago, with a PSA 4 specimen fetching $35K that same year. Since then, pricing points for early 1920s black and white Ruth cards have taken off like an ICBM missile, justified by a mid-grade E220 Ruth realizing nearly $200K in 2023 and a PSA 7 NM 1921 E121 Bambino marvel nailing down $338K (both of these extraordinary record-setting prices realized in Memory Lane Auctions). Indeed, the floodgates have opened for Babe Ruth's scarcest 1920s cards, representing the origin of his immortal Yankees career, with this rare for the grade Oxford Ruth proudly boasting one of the Sultan of Swat's earliest Yankee uniform images!

MIN BID $7,500
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