(LOT 146)
1922 E120 American Caramel Babe Ruth PSA 4.5 VG-EX+ - POP 2!
BAMBINO CANDY TREAT!!! In the early 1920s, Babe Ruth's unprecedented assault on the fences turned the baseball world upside down. His 54 and 59 round-trippers in 1920 and 1921, respectively, outhomered virtually every MLB team, quickly making people forget he was baseball's greatest southpaw pitcher during his years in Beantown, Mass. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Babe Ruth's early 1920s Yankees cards are now skyrocketing in value with each and every passing sale. Ignited by the pricing escalation for Ruth's four 1933 Goudey issues, attention has now swayed to his much scarcer early 1920s cards, with a PSA 7 NM 1921 E121 Ruth fetching a record-breaking $337K in 2021, while a PSA 5 E220 National Caramel Ruth realized a staggering $195K in Memory Lane's September 2023 Auction! Presented here just happens to be another one of Babe Ruth's highly coveted early 1920s issues, the seldom-surfacing 1922 American Caramel E120 in an outstanding PSA 4.5 VG-EX+ holder.

The extreme condition sensitivity of these candy card treats places any mid-grade example at a hollowed plateau, substantiated by PSA's Pop Chart listing only a single other example at this scarce plateau, with less than ten specimens graded higher (at the time this was written). The Lancaster, PA based American Caramel Company followed up their highly successful 1921 black and white candy card baseball card set by issuing an extensive 240-subject gathering in 1922 that included an exalted Babe Ruth Holding Ball subject. At this juncture, the Bambino had revolutionized baseball via his mammoth dingers, literally saving America's Pastime in lieu of the 1919 Black Sox scandal that tested the faith of a nation.

Fans gravitated to this larger than life icon, justifying why companies promoted their brand by placing Ruth's sanctified picture on a myriad of their products. The classic image graces the elaborate sepia oval frame, with the Bambino's hallowed pose reflecting fine contrast and stellar resolution, as well as revealing atypical near-perfect centering (most E120's exhibit skewed images). The striking "holding ball" illustration is also seen on Ruth's 1922 E121 American Caramel and 1922 Neilson's Chocolate cards, which are truly coveted by the collecting community. Preventing a higher grade is even corner wear (actually emanating an eye-pleasing uniformity), and an extremely faint notation situated next to the "H" in "RUTH" beneath his captivating image.

The obverse side has likewise eluded any glaring surface flaws, with the New York Yankees checklist completely intact. In closing, it was only a matter of time before these undervalued black and white 1920s Ruth cards soared in value, especially considering their low pop and the undisputed fact that the immortal George Herman Ruth reigns supreme as our National Pastimes greatest all-time player. In fact, it was two years ago that an inferior PSA 4 fetched $46K in a public auction (April 2022), further justification of the incredible investment potential offered by the Sultan of Swat's obscure early 1920s subjects. Indeed, we highly expect the excessive demand for early 1920s Bambino cards to steamroll ahead tantamount to a raging tsunami, with this lust for the Babe's most prestigious black and white Yankee issues far surpassing their limited supply!

MIN BID $10,000
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