Another prized piece of memorabilia belonging to Babe Ruth was sold for a seven-figure sum at an auction recently.
According to a report by ESPN’s Dan Hajducky, a baseball glove worn by Ruth during a game was sold for $1.53 million at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. This sale set a new record for the most expensive baseball glove ever sold:
“The previous record was thought to be $387,500 for a glove belonging to Lou Gehrig, which was sold by Sotheby’s in 1999. In 2013, a glove believed to have been used by Jackie Robinson in the 1955 and 1956 World Series fetched just over $373,000 through Steiner Sports.
“The Ruth glove, made by Spalding for Ruth’s use between 1927 and 1933, was discussed by Austin in a 1964 audio recording used in “The Glory of Their Times,” where he talked about the glove and touched its leather with his hand.”
In a previous auction in 2019, a jersey worn by Ruth almost a hundred years ago was sold for $5.64 million. In 2017, two other items related to Ruth were also auctioned for over a million dollars each: a 1927 World Series championship ring for just over $2.093 million and a sale document (from when the Red Sox sold him to the Yankees) for approximately $3.303 million.
Considered one of the greatest baseball players ever, Ruth played for the Red Sox from 1914 to 1919 and for the Yankees from 1920 to 1934. He spent his final season as a pro with the Boston Braves in 1935.
Ruth led the Red Sox to three World Series championships in 1915, 1916, and 1918. However, after being sold to the Yankees by owner Harold Frazee, Ruth transformed the baseball landscape forever. The Red Sox didn’t win another World Series until 2004, while Ruth propelled the Yankees to become one of America’s most renowned sports franchises.
Before Ruth’s arrival, the Yankees had never won a World Series. But during the 1920s, he led them to championships in 1923, 1927, and 1928. He won his seventh ring with the team in 1932.
Ruth passed away at the age of 53 in 1948 due to a rare form of cancer called Nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
As a 12-time American League home run leader and the 1923 AL MVP, Ruth retired with 714 home runs, a record that Hank Aaron surpassed on April 8, 1974. Barry Bonds went on to break Aaron’s record in the 2007 season, finishing his career with 762 home runs.
