By Amy Tennery and Christine Kiernan
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A rare, 91-year-old Babe Ruth card that once sold for a penny could fetch more than a million dollars on the auction block this month, as a coveted piece of baseball history goes up for grabs.
The 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card is expected to sell for between $1.5 million and $3 million in the Fanatics Collect auction that wraps up on Nov. 21. Fans flocked to Midtown Manhattan on Friday to catch a glimpse of the rare collectible on display.
“When you mention Babe Ruth, there’s this almost transcendence of what it means to baseball and I think also what it means to collecting as well, to the hobby,” Fanatics Collect President Chris Lamontagne told Reuters.
Featuring the late New York Yankees legend in pinstripes against a red background, the card is coveted not only for its rarity but for its pristine condition.
After sitting in a family collection for more than 60 years, the card achieved a higher quality rating than an identical one in the Smithsonian collection.
“If you look at the actual quality of the card now, it kind of looks brand new,” said Lamontagne.
“You can tell that someone has really took the time to take the care to look after this and that isn’t always the case with these older cards.”
The auction comes amid a surge of interest in sports memorabilia, particularly in the United States. A rare Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $7.25 million in a private sale in 2022, while a Mickey Mantle card in mint condition went for $12.6 million later that same year.
The Babe Ruth card, also known as the “Red Ruth,” has been kept under 24-hour-security, Fanatics Collect said, though diehard fans were able to peer at it from inches away at Friday’s viewing inside the flagship Major League Baseball store.
“I just chatted to a guy who came all the way from Maryland to come and see the card because he started collecting with his grandfather and was collecting with his uncle, both who aren’t here anymore,” said Lamontagne.
“(He) felt like it was worth coming to make the trip to come and see this card. How do you explain that? It’s such a human and authentic thing.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery and Christine Kiernan, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
