(LOT 140)
1920 Draper & Maynard (D&M) Full 64-Page Catalog with a Red Sox Babe Ruth on the Front Cover – One of the Finest Known Examples & Arguably the "Holy Grail" of all Sporting Goods Catalogs!
RUTHIAN HOLY GRAIL!!! Throughout the mid to late 1910s, BoSox pitcher Babe Ruth was the finest southpaw in baseball, having won 80 games in 4+ seasons and led the Red Sox to two world championships. Even more impressive were Ruth's batting exploits, which continued to see the young diamond star crush baseballs harder and further than any hitter the game had ever seen. Boston realized Ruth needed to be a full-time player, and in 1919 he made 543 plate appearances while walloping a then MLB record of 29 round trippers. Incredibly, after the 1919 season, Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee reluctantly sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees on January 3, 1920 to fund his theatrical production "No, No, Nanette", and the legendary "Curse of the Bambino" was officially born.

Directly before this transaction was officially announced, the New England based Draper & Maynard (D&M) renowned catalog company had already gone to print with their 1920 sporting goods 64-page catalog that just happened to include an imposing Babe Ruth pitching pose on their front cover, portraying the superstar left-hander in his Red Sox uniform. Arguably considered the most desirable of all sporting good catalogs, this Spring & Summer 5-3/4" x 7-1/2" catalog's remarkable Ruth image places it as the most significant Ruth periodical on the planet. Presented here is one of the finest known examples, a stellar EX condition example emanating outstanding aesthetics beyond its technical attributes. It's no secret that vintage Ruth Red Sox images are currently realizing stratospheric price tags, with a Type 1 rookie-era photo approaching $500K and other post-rookie images fetching six-figure+ over the past several years.

While this is not an official Type 1 photo, it does portray one of the most breathtakingly colorful Babe Ruth Red Sox images extant, and one can only begin to speculate on its potential value in this Ruth-heightened memorabilia market. The Sultan of Swat illustration is absolutely brilliant, as Ruth has just tossed one of his virtually unhittable pitches donning his Boston pinstripes and red stockings. The cover includes bold captions as follows: "SPRING & SUMMER CATALOG 1920 – "BABE" RUTH THE HOME RUN KING USES EXCLUSIVELY THE LUCKY DOG GOODS – MADE BY THE DRAPER-MAYNARD CO. – PLYMOUTH, N.H. U.S.A.", with the classic D&M Lucky Dog Mascot affixed to the lower left quadrant. Both the front and back covers have eluded any obtrusive flaws, revealing a majority of their original clean surfaces, and the spine edge is completely intact. For full disclosure, there is some toning/soiling along the front cover's lower right edge and some typical corner wear, with the verso exhibiting some negligible areas of soiling along the upper region.

The back cover includes a superb image of a period-style baseball and its accompanying box, also portraying extremely rich hues and joined by Lucky Dog Mascot illustrations on each side. Of course, the aftermath of this revered keepsake would see the Colossus of Swat move on to revolutionize baseball via his prodigious home runs, with Ruth blasting a mind-boggling 54 dingers in his inaugural 1920 Yankees campaign and following up that glorious season by walloping 59 homers in 1921. This world-class offering is a perfect testament to the commencement of the Babe's immortal Yankees career, as well as Ruth introducing the long ball as an unparalleled offensive weapon. Ultra-elusive and one of Babe Ruth's final marketing appearances as a Boston Red Sox player, its breathtaking eye appeal and Cooperstown worthy Ruthian pitching pose place this "Holy Grail" periodical as one of the foremost examples, with this exact same offering previously fetching nearly $16K in a Memory Lane Auction!

MIN BID $3,000
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