1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth in Heritage
 

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https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-c...Results-120115

Wow!
 

Over/under?

1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth in Heritage
 

It last sold for $7.2MM in a December 2023 REA auction.

In a sane world, it would eclipse the Jordan-Kobe Logoman.

I’m going to guess no sale.

Probably a reserve on there that will pop and scare off the bidders.

If I see Orioles owner David Rubenstein at high holiday services next week, I'll tell him to bid. :D:D:D

Has Mr. Wonderful heard of Babe Ruth? Baseball isn't quite as big up there in Canada...

These days when a card like that sells, the buyer loves to let the world know they bought it. Did anyone ever claim to have bought it? That is a pretty fast turnaround for someone who can afford to spend 7M on a single card.

Amazing card but SGC was quite generous on the grade.

Best eye candy in the hobby.

Agree with the overgrading. PSA surely gives this a 1 in today’s world, depending on who submits it, of course. 😁

My guess is $12.5 million and obviously it sells

It will go for more than I can afford.
It wouldn't be close to a 3 today but the technical grade doesn't matter as much on a card like this. The eye appeal and awesomeness are hard to beat.

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Under $7.5mm. Specifically, $7.3mm.

It still chaps my ass that SGC gave that a 3. If the grade doesn't matter, give it the 1 and call it a day. It's not worth the hit to their credibility to pretend that's a 3 on any planet.

Yes, a complete joke. None of us would ever get a "3" if we submitted that card. It's a "1" all day long, and they don't even have the excuse of it being in an older slab.

I guess the slogan by AMEX was right. "Membership has it's privileges", at the end of the day. PSA has done the same thing on a few of the recently graded T206 Wagners but no card is more over graded than the T206 Wagner SGC 5, based on my recollection. I think there was a thread on here about it that I cannot find.

The importance of the card...or the person submitting it...should never compromise grading such as it does nor should the value or rarity of said card render the grade unimportant, however, being realistic, I get how this all works.

Unless it was a reholder.

Looks like a 2 to my eyes, but I’m certainly not a professional grader.

Nobody who buys opinions gives a shit about the "credibility" of who they buy their opinions from.

Most of those people don't care because they themselves lack the ability to assess a card themselves but you summed it up nicely.

PSA, especially a decade or more ago used to routinely overgrade some of the marquee T206 cards, IMO. Not sure if that has changed recently, but even for run of the mill tobacco cards - I've never understood why corners that would probably earn a 3 for postwar cards can somehow get 5's with cards that are more than 100 years old.

Don't they grade "on the curve," though, according to the issue? I thought fragile cards like T-205s, subject to easy chipping, or cards like these released under treacherous circumstances, were granted leniency when it came to the numbers. No?

No.

No, not with any grader worth their salt anyway. Whether a card was made in 2025, 1925, or 1887 - all should be graded on the same scale and with the same scrutiny. Beckett with their BVG service grades obviously easier, and walked right up to the line of what you suggest with saying that they grade vintage with a nod to "how the cards were made" - suggesting without actually coming out and saying that they grade easier.

In practice you will see some cards that are given exemptions or passes on certain things (centering on the '54 Topps Banks, for example) as a matter of course, but this should be rare.

I am asking the same question. Why sell it less than 2 years later?

I agree with Raulus, no sale. The reserve will be set too high.

There was recently a YouTube video made by an ostensibly large vintage dealer, complaining about the inconsistencies in PSA's grading and then doing an experiment in which "old" flip / slabs had the cards cracked out, and then the cards were resubmitted raw, where - predictably - they came back with mostly lower or at least inconsistent grades. But the dealer then ruined it by pointing out the flaws on those and other cards and then in attempting to explain why they should have graded higher or lower - within about 10 seconds proved painfully that he didn't have a clue what he was talking about in terms of how grading works.

This kind of thing always gives me stomach pain, because yes PSA DOES have legit issues with their grading scale and process. But now, a full generation plus into slabs and grading being a thing - there are so many in the hobby who have either forgotten or just no longer care how to grade themselves, that at times it seems we are just helpless to do anything about that which would frustrate us.

3 is generous, 1 is harsh IMO.

Looks like what would generally be graded 1.5/2 even in today's environment IMO.

As others have stated, it will likely be a NO SALE due to a reserve not met.

Still a very cool rare card.

I would much rather have it over the Jordan/Kobe Logoman even at the same price provided I had $12 Mil to spend on either of them.

With new collector money in the market owning the most expensive modern card, maybe the Ruth seller is seeing if this vintage card could be new highest vintage card sold, and flip it for a $5MM profit…wouldn’t be a shabby ROI for 2 years. More than many will ever make in a lifetime.

PSA has moved the goal posts but so has SGC only to a lessor extent. I think with the advent of grading, a vast majority of collectors defer to the number on the label and never or no longer can assess a card's condition or make any determination as to whether the card in the holder has been altered. It only muddies the water when these two companies do favors for insiders and over grade their cards for whatever reason.

I know there were problems in the early 1990's which led many to think professional grading was a good thing, but remember in the 80's when price magazines came with "condition guides" and every book sold about cards had at least some section explaining how to grade cards? Yes, there were inconsistencies and people who didn't get it even back then, but the point was there was at least some attempt to get collectors on the same page as to how to assess a card's condition. Yes, it was rudimentary and far less refined than today's 10 point scale complete with half grades - but back in the day I bet you most collectors could differentiate a poor card from a VG card from a NM one. Today the nuances are completely out the window. If I had a dollar for every eBay seller or YouTube egghead I've run across who doesn't understand how to compute centering properly or, much less - doesn't understand centering scales and how they work with professional grades - well, then I'd have a lot more money to spend on my collection.

It's a shame we've thrown out the middle knowledge with the bathwater. People today seem to be either generally very competent with grading - or they know absolutely nothing about it and rely on PSA to do everything for them.

Agree with Wise and Raulis…..this is a white whale grail of a card for the collector or investor who would sell this in less than 2 years unless they know they're gonna make a good profit. To me this card has more up side in the next 10-20 years than any other card including the Wagner T206

The grading companies used to treat the 1914 Cracker Jacks with heavy caramel stains a bit more kindly, knowing they came in a box of sticky stuff. Don't believe that is the case anymore.

Right. The seemingly "generous" grades on T205 cards really aren't that at all. All cards of that vintage which have border wear/edge chipping are graded the same.

It just shows up more on the T205 set because of the gold borders. White bordered cards experience the same exact "chipping", but it's not as visible.
The white inner layer underneath the surface just doesn't show up as visibly against white borders as it does with gold (or black, in the case of 1971 Topps).

I was fortunate to see this in person earlier this month in Baltimore. Hopefully the new buyer will keep it on loan at the museum.

Here's the back story:

https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.co...ng-back-story/

Who cares, 1 or 3, at least I get a second chance at this one. Now all I have to do is get everyone who lives in my condominium complex to agree to take out a second mortgage on their unit and forward the proceeds to me. Then I think I have a real shot at it vs. Mr. Wonderful.

Who knows, maybe one day, it will be worth even more than the MJ/Kobe patch auto card. Those are truly rare, you know.

It's not a sane world...
I'm not guessing as i don't want to lessen my chances of winning it.

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I understand the historical significance but what a completely fugly card that is.

I think the blue ones tend to look better. The red color on this one looks faded. However, it may be a bad image since I saw the one in the museum years ago and I don't recall it looking faded.

History in the making?
 

Needless to say having this card sitting on my desk for a few seconds was really cool. Having it in my hands was something I never thought I would be able to say.

Some interesting thought on this thread and yes, we too are wondering if this card could surpass the Wagner in terms of hobby significance and value because if any card deserves the honor it would be this one.

Oh, for those of you who are wondering, there will be no unpleasant surprises at the end. This card will sell. There is NO reserve.

High bidder gets it!

That's the deal-killer for me, too, and therefore I will NOT be going for it.;)

That's exciting. And bold for the current owner. But I suspect they'll do just fine, as long as nothing economically stupefying occurs a day or two before the auction close to scare off a few would-be bidders.

In light of this new information, I'll revise my earlier estimate, and guess $8.5M for this rare piece of cardboard history. And afterwards, we can debate who picked it up, and whether the house or its employees bid during the process, as I'm pretty sure I remember that HA reserves this right.

My vote would be for the red version. If I ever win the lottery, I will be trying to track this one down.

Now that's a beauty. That one would obliterate the record for a card sale. My guess is $25million plus.

Rob, if I ever win the lottery, I'll be tracking down both a red version AND a blue version of this first Ruth card, plus a T206 Wags, plus every WaJo card that sold in the past for more than my card budget could handle!!!

I have to wonder if the grading fee might have influenced the gentle grade received.

Do we think they actually charged a grading fee? Collectable marketed the hell out of this card back in 2021, and SGC piggybacked on the publicity.

Two more

Very nice, Corey. Once I win the powerball, I will be right there with you...Great cards and thanks for sharing.
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The greatest post in the history of posts. My goodness. We are not worthy.

Yikes! Are these yours?

Yes

Those cards need the MBA gold bar if you ever want to sell them. That could push them over the top.

LOL, they are already over the top. Hi Corey!

But the gold bar!

I just looked at the HA listing for this lot. What I found interesting was the estimate of $7 million. I wonder why HA, who in my mind usually estimates high, would have an estimate under the REA realization.

I have found their estimates for the type of stuff I bid on to have pretty low estimates.

Perhaps lower estimates will entice more bidders to participate, giving them a false hope of having a chance of winning.

At the 7M+ level, does that strategy really work? No one with that money has false hopes, I don't think. It's all about who has the deepest pockets and wants it the most.

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Agreed. Cards like that will be the new toys for the fraction of the 1% with more disposable income than I would see in 10 lifetimes.

Very nice Corey! Do you mind sharing the story behind both of those?

At higher prices it's not about attracting buyers, it's about attracting consignors.
Being able to say they typically get X% over estimate is a selling point.

Not that that fools anyone who actually looks at those estimates compared to sales.

Wow...corey!!!!! Thx for sharing!!!

PSA has already announced that SGC will become a "boutique" grader. I wonder if this might mean they are the grader of choice for all card submissions dated 1970 and prior. That way they can focus on the real business, grading Pokemon cards.

I hope "boutique" doesn't mean higher grading fees, but I suspect that it will.

PSA would like to discourage all of us from using SGC so they can shut it down. Key people have left the company or migrated to PSA. They are no longer doing shows. They are taking in a fraction of the cards but the turnaround times are just as long as when they were inundated.

Bet Nat has the company down to 10 part time employees. If raising fees does not convince us to stop using them then they will make sure they start grading even tougher.

That is my thought but I’m in the minority on this one.

I think it would be a good idea for PSA to call SGC the Trusted Legacy Grading Division.

I acquired each card some years ago and they both were purchased from the same individual. Interestingly, when each card first appeared at auction, I was the underbidder both times. So, it was very satisfying to eventually be able to purchase them.

Truly amazing. Don't answer this if you don't feel like it, but did the seller's last name start with M? I think I might have heard this story from his end.

Hank,

I believe I know who you are referring to, but no, my seller's last name did not start with M.

Thanks, Corey, I'm sure you do know my guy. That means there are at least two fellows who sold not one, but two, of these, and that strikes me as amazing given their mind-boggling rarity. We all have stories of incredible fortune in picking up things we thought maybe we would never get, but yours has to be up there with the greatest! Thanks for sharing with us mere mortals!

Hank, my guess is that your guy's two Ruth cards are the same cards Corey acquired. I suspect that Mr. "M" (I know who you are referring to) either sold these cards to the guy Corey got them from, or sold them to someone(s) who later sold them to the guy Corey got them from. Whatever the case, I echo your thanks to Corey for sharing them with us.

Wouldn't that be something! Makes me wonder if there has ever been the kind of tracing of these as in the case of the Wags. In one sense, that should be easier given the greater scarcity of the Ruths, but on the other hand when was it that those starting getting the same kind of publicity as the famous-from-the-beginning-of-the-hobby-Wagner, which might make it more difficult to track all of the public transactions of the former in the early years of the hobby? In any case, it's fascinating!

Hank, I think that transactions of Baltimore News Ruth cards and T206 Wagner cards have often been done privately, rather than publicly.

And I know of a Mr. F who allegedly had two of them, a red and a blue, but his were consigned to an auction house at different times.

Oh, I'm sure, Val, but there are, as I'm sure you've seen, lists and even pictures of something like the last 50 Wags to appear in the hobby in some fashion over the last 50 years or so.

I wonder if these might not be Corey's cards.

What’s with all of the pussyfooting around here, Mr M, Mr F, etc. These guys should just book an appearance on Good Morning America and announce to the world that they are the proud owner of the two best and rarest Babe Ruth cards in the world. And that’s just part of their rare vintage card portfolio.

Must be pusillanimous pussyfooters.

It's about not wanting to violate any kind of confidence. It does sound a little strange, and perhaps I'm being overly careful, but I'd rather err on the side of caution.