(LOT 8)
Remarkable Babe Ruth Signed "1939 Cooperstown First Day Cover" with Lou Gehrig Image - PSA 8 NM-MT Auto Grade - JSA LOA
Rightfully and unquestionably so, Babe Ruth was one of the five inaugural members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame to be enshrined within the halls of Cooperstown, New York, alongside Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. His impact on the game went far beyond his time on the diamond, though his statistics which included 714 home runs (having led the league in round-trippers 12 times), his .342 career batting average and his still-standing record .690 slugging percentage ultimately prompted his first-year induction. The Babe helped to grow the game of baseball throughout the United States and abroad, with multiple trips or "Tours" of Japan and beyond. On June 12, 1939, the National Baseball Hall of Fame opened its doors for the first time and to commemorate that momentous occasion was the production of this extremely rare First Day Cover marking the historic event, one of multiple unique examples. Entitled "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE" with a depiction of General Abner Doubleday and a second image of New York Yankees Lou Gehrig batting marked "Commemorating 100th Anniversary of the Game of Baseball", this scarce FDC has been postmarked "Cooperstown - Jun 12 - 9-AM - 1939" with the lucky recipient's, "Herbert A. Danning" of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, address listed at right.

The purple-hued postage stamp at upper right portraying the early days of baseball remains intact and in exceptional condition. But the true gem of this extraordinary relic is the "Babe Ruth" signature below the Gehrig illustration. According to PSA, who has encapsulated this rare gem, Ruth's autograph is certified and graded as an 8 NM-MT penning. The clear and concise blue fountain pen signature of the Bambino remains in tremendously bold and rich condition causing us the slightest bit of pause to wonder, why not a 9 MINT? Regardless of the grade, we feel that this is one of the finest First Day Covers signed by Babe Ruth, on an example featuring his Hall of Fame teammate, that we have ever had the pleasure to offer at auction. The condition is exemplar with only the lightest bit of toning on the reverse due to glue deterioration, but this expected aging fails to detract from the overall mesmerizing signature of the Sultan of Swat on the face. This is an absolutely historic marvel marking one of the greatest events in the history of baseball autographed by the greatest player to ever step foot on a baseball diamond! PSA/DNA LOA included, as well as a full JSA LOA indicating the Auto is an 8 NM-MT grade.

MIN BID $2,500