Babe Ruth mitt from youth in Goldins Next Auction

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by midmo

One of the documents says, "It was determined that the glove was produced circa 1910 and matched what Babe Ruth used while at St. Mary's based on team photographs showing Ruth wearing catcher's gear."

I guess they're not claiming it to be the same glove in the photos. They're just saying the photos prove he wore catcher's gear during that time.

I went back and read the item description in the auction. It could be read to imply that this is THE mitt in the photo, at least as I am reading it.

For one thing, this language -- "THE one" -- implies he only used one during his time there. "Incredibly, this surviving Babe Ruth used glove is the one used by the Babe during his formative years behind the walls of St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys." If he only used one, it must be the one in the photo.

And this connecting the mitt to the one the family says was given to the drug store clerk: "Players like Ruth were expected to purchase their own bats and gloves and it's likely the Babe took along his old catcher's mitt just in case it was needed."

So even if the authenticators are not purporting to photo match the glove, and on further reflection the language you quoted does seem a bit ambiguous in that regard ("MATCHED what Babe Ruth used ... based on team photographs"), it does sound to me like the AH is claiming it is the one in the photo -- unless I am misreading the description.