Opinions on this Babe Ruth Baseball That Came in the store today

[jerseygary]

OK, don't jump all over me on this, hear me out. That Henry Doherty on the other panel rang a bell with me. Back in the teens and early 1920's the Doherty Silk Company in Paterson, NJ had one of the hottest semi-pro teams around, called the "Silk Sox." Henry Doherty, Jr. inherited the company from his Dad and Junior was a baseball fiend. He went about forming a team that would boast many ex-big leaguers, college players and some who even got their start from playing with the Silk Sox - Milt Gaston comes to mind, as he was discovered during a Silk Sox-Yankees exhibition game.

Many of the major league teams and negro league teams played them - including Babe Ruth when he was with the Red Sox and Yankees. Because the Silk Sox played all kinds of teams, there is a possibility they would have hosted one of Ruth's many barnstorming teams.

I'm not saying this is real, because it does look pretty thick and off, but that Henry Doherty on the side panel got me thinking...

[Steve D]

In response to Gary's post above, the interesting thing is, the Henry Doherty Jr who owned the Doherty Silk Company, was born in 1879 in Passaic, New Jersey. His father was apparently born in Cheshire, England in 1850.

The Henry Latham Doherty who founded the Cities Service Company, that became CITGO Petroleum, was born in Ohio in 1870; so the Henry Jr who owned the Silk Company and the Silk Sox, was not the son of Henry L. Doherty of Cities Service (CITGO). Henry Latham Doherty did live in New York City for several years.

I found an old stock certificate, and a photo of Henry Latham Doherty of CITGO, and it matches the signature on the baseball.

It is possible, that the Henry Doherty Jr of the Silk Sox, was related to Henry Latham Doherty of CITGO, but they were not father and son.

Steve

[jerseygary]

They were 2 separate people, same name. Henry L. Doherty, Sr. founded the silk company and ran it up until after the (in)famous Paterson Silk Strike of 1913, with Henry L. Doherty, Jr. being the father's successor after his death around 1915 or so.

If it is your Henry Doherty, I wonder if there was some kind of Babe Ruth - Cities Service Company promotion in which they gave away balls like this.

[Bpm0014]

All the others may be legit. None of the others may be legit. But the Ruth is without question a completely laughable forgery.