6/28/10 Baltimore Sun Article: Who Is the Owner of this 1914 Ruth?

[Orioles1954]

Interesting article on the troubles of the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore of finding the owner of their 1914 Baltimore News Ruth. Some factual errors, but still an interesting read.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-ruth-baseball-card-0629-20100625,0,2192487.story

James

[scooter729]

Cool read - thanks for posting.

Now, to go out and get me one of those Wagner cards which has "nose-dived" in value!

[GoldenAge50s]

My REAL name is Glenn Davis!:)

[Bill Stone]

My name is .. Glenn Davis

Sorry I thought I was on the old game show To Tell The Truth .:confused:

[FUBAR]

The guy probably has no clue what he even owns..... if he works at a paint store, he probably isn't that well off. My guess is a sale will occur once he finds out.

I wish they would have posted a picture.

[Matthew H]

Wow, they did a great job with that display.

[Dalkiel]

I saw the old display with the Ruth and assumed it was a reprint because it was stuck in a showcase in the corner with no big deal made about it.

[D. Bergin]

Looks like they found the owner already.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bal-sp-card-owner-0629,0,5767347.story

[D. Bergin]

I'd be surprised if the museum gets to keep the card for any length of time.

I know if it was me and the words "I'll have to check with the wife" came out of my mouth...............that would be code for "enjoy that card for the next few days because I'm on the next flight to Baltimore with a briefcase and a consignment agreement with insert your favorite auction house here"

;)

[Anthony S.]

Am I the only one who felt a little uneasy seeing that card display case right next to a window in a building that doesn't exactly look like Fort Knox?

[Matthew H]

"Excuse me Mr. Paint Salesman, we just discovered that the card you loaned us is worth a half mil at auction... Can we still keep it?"

[D. Bergin]

What's the value of the rest of the cards in the set, as it appears he's the owner of those also?

[philliesphan]

The last example I can remember selling with Mike Doolan, which sold for slightly less than $5k in a Hunt Auction. Perhaps that is more than a common, as Doolan played a long time in the majors-

But I think somewhere north of $2k each, depending on condition. I don't think there are (m)any people working on the whole set -- type card collectors primarily, if I had to guess.

[D. Bergin]

Am I the only one who felt a little uneasy seeing that card display case right next to a window in a building that doesn't exactly look like Fort Knox?



Hulk smash glass good............Hulk love Baby Ruth smash baseballs...........Hulk no greedy, Hulk Sorry!!

[hunterdutchess]

Should have kept there mouth shut about finding the owner. Now they are going to have even more trouble getting folks to come there when the card is gone.

[Jewish-collector]

Bad timing for the museum to give up the card with the National coming to Baltimore this summer.

[Cat]

The wife has a hard decision...let the card sit in the museum or get a check for a quarter mil to spend on anything she wants. Hmmm, wonder what she'll decide?

[Thrill-of-the-Hunt]

its nice to hear about some honest people for a change. this story could have easily been the other way around. (card replaced years ago with fake) and sold. remember the card switching with the charlie sheen collection at the all star cafe restaurant, i think that was a wagner.

[slantycouch]

Hah kind of funny/disappointing that they made such a big deal about the "Mystery" and the dude called within a day.

Didn't exactly give Baltimorians (Baltites? Baltimeranians?) enough time to get hyped about going to see the card shrouded in mystery.

And I'm pretty sure "I'll check with my wife" means the card is already sold.

[FUBAR]

The wife has a hard decision...let the card sit in the museum or get a check for a quarter mil to spend on anything she wants. Hmmm, wonder what she'll decide?

Women don't understand cards whatsoever.. she hears half a million and she hears Prada, Louis Vitton, Chanel. I know with my old lady, she hears i have a card worth $150 dollars and she is sell, sell, sell........


I think Chappelle said it best : "I'm rich bitch! Oprah Winfrey rich!"

[FUBAR]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMFJBd40Awo&feature=related (http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMFJBd40Awo&feature=related)

Not the Oprah one, but close enough

[Leon]

Nice commons would go for 4k-6k.....this one was around 5k I believe....

[53Browns]

It does seem appropriate that the rookie card of the greatest player to grace the game is now the pinnacle of the hobby. The card finally really gets its due.

[Baseball Rarities]

It does seem appropriate that the rookie card of the greatest player to grace the game is now the pinnacle of the hobby. The card finally really gets its due.

It is a great card and my personal favorite, but I think that the T206 Wagner will always be the THE card in the hobby.

[peterose4hof]

Anyone want to cut their losses and sell me their T206 Wagner before it "nose-dives" even more? ;)

[Matthew H]

These ones sold for around $500 each:

http://www.huntauctions.com/online/imageviewer.cfm?auction_num=2&lot_num=541&lot_qual=

[Baseball Rarities]

These ones sold for around $500 each:

http://www.huntauctions.com/online/imageviewer.cfm?auction_num=2&lot_num=541&lot_qual=

$500 for decent commons seems way too cheap. How long ago were those sold?

[Exhibitman]

So if his wife makes him pull his father's card from the museum and sell it off, does she also get to loan the museum his testicles to put on display in its place?

[Matthew H]

$500 for decent commons seems way too cheap. How long ago were those sold?

I don't know. Probably a long time ago if its way too cheap.

[MVSNYC]

a few random thoughts-

-the museum director said, he is "certain the man he spoke to is the owner of the card." ummm...IF they give up the card, they better MAKE SURE it is the correct owner, not just "certain". he might wanna look at his ID ;)

-i'm wondering if the white baltimore jersey in the showcase is a replica, or if it's Babe's jersey...IF it's Babe's jersey, those guys would have a MUCH more valuable piece on their hands then the rookie card.

[Leon]

I don't know. Probably a long time ago if its way too cheap.

I will gladly pay 2k right now for all of the 1914 Baltimore News commons, in gd+, that I can find......my email is leonl@flash.net ....

That Hunt auction had to be ages ago...

[Peter_Spaeth]

So if his wife makes him pull his father's card from the museum and sell it off, does she also get to loan the museum his testicles to put on display in its place?

What makes you think those are still around? :D

[Matthew H]

I will gladly pay 2k right now for all of the 1914 Baltimore News commons, in gd+, that I can find......my email is leonl@flash.net ....

That Hunt auction had to be ages ago...

I checked, it was 11 years ago. (I guess I should have checked that first huh? :o )

[Matthew H]

So if his wife makes him pull his father's card from the museum and sell it off, does she also get to loan the museum his testicles to put on display in its place?

Sometimes in situations like this, "I'll have to talk to my wife" may also translate as "I finally get to buy that boat"

[sayhey24]

a few random thoughts-

-the museum director said, he is "certain the man he spoke to is the owner of the card." ummm...IF they give up the card, they better MAKE SURE it is the correct owner, not just "certain". he might wanna look at his ID ;)

-i'm wondering if the white baltimore jersey in the showcase is a replica, or if it's Babe's jersey...IF it's Babe's jersey, those guys would have a MUCH more valuable piece on their hands then the rookie card.

Just for the record, "certain" and "make sure" mean the same thing.

Greg

[MVSNYC]

Greg- if it was 100%, it should have been simply worded, "he is the owner" or "we confirmed it was the owner". using the word "certain" for me, ironically makes it sound not confirmed, and that the museum director is giving his opinion, rather then having concrete evidence.

[sayhey24]

Got it -- that all makes sense. And I would agree -- they better jump through hoops making sure the card gets in the right hands (if it does wind up leaving the museum).

Greg

[Leon]

I checked, it was 11 years ago. (I guess I should have checked that first huh? :o )

That still sounds low even back then.

[Baseball Rarities]

That still sounds low even back then.

That is probably about right. I have tracked sales of the Baltimore News Ruth over the years. According to my notes, in 1999 one of the nicest examples in the hobby (VG-EX) sold in an auction for around $30K and a Poor example sold in another auction for around $8K. I am sure that both would bring 10x to 20x those prices today.

[Leon]

That is probably about right. I have tracked sales of the Baltimore News Ruth over the years. According to my notes, in 1999 one of the nicest examples in the hobby (VG-EX) sold in an auction for around $30K and a Poor example sold in another auction for around $8K. I am sure that both would bring 10x to 20x those prices today.

Thanks Kevin...I had barely got my feet wet as an adult collector in '99. I did buy a few cards back then and the prices were indeed less than today...even with the decline as of late.

[Matthew H]

Cards are actually doing well if you look back that far IMO. It's like the housing market, prices have declined but really they just came down to where they were before people lost their minds.

I remember going to shows with my Dad in the late 80's early 90's and there wasn't such a big difference in price for condition like today. Their definitely weren't any Mantle RC selling for 150k so the rise is steady enough for me.

Anybody still have any of those super long screw-down holders for multiple cards? (sorry that had nothing to do with anything.)

[sbfinley]

Looking at that photo on the first page, I'm wondering how that Ruth is held in the shadowbox.

[Bilko G]

Is the article correct, there is only 11 known copies of the Ruth?

[glchen]

The site did have some pictures of the cards.

[Baseball Rarities]

Is the article correct, there is only 11 known copies of the Ruth?

I actually think that there are 10 currently known to exist.

[terjung]

Isn't it down to 10 because somebody lost his?

[David Atkatz]

Yeah.

Glenn Davis.

[Rob D.]

Update:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Owner-of-500K-Babe-Ruth-rookie-lets-museum-disp?urn=mlb,254247

[barrysloate]

Sounds like Davis is a good man.

[Rob D.]

Sounds like Davis is a good man.

My bet: Someone will find a fault.

[barrysloate]

You took the very words out of my mouth.:)

[ullmandds]

that's excellent news...having gone to grad school in baltimore...I've been to the museum numerous times...and the ruth prookie is a great addition to an already fine little museum...in the hood!

What kind of a total ASS could say something bad about this guy...we'll soon find out!

[Cat]

So if he decided to retrieve it, and then sold it, would that have made him a bad man? Or, just a normal average every day man?

[ullmandds]

Cat...I'd say if he retrieved it and sold it...it'd make him like most men!!!

[barrysloate]

Of course it wouldn't make him a bad man if he sold it, but it's kind of refreshing to see someone say the money isn't important right now, and I would rather have people come and enjoy it. More often than not we don't see that.

[Matthew H]

Not only would I have sold it, the money would most likely be gone by now.

What a stand up guy, my hats off to him. Now, could the museum consider moving it away from the window? I wonder if the sunlight hits the card.

[calvindog]

So if he decided to retrieve it, and then sold it, would that have made him a bad man? Or, just a normal average every day man?

It would mean he doesn't love the hobby enough.

[E93]

What about all the other Ruth collectors who *don't* loan their bats, uniforms, cards, posters, etc. to the Babe Ruth museum in Baltimore? I think what this guy did is pretty spectacular.
JimB

[tbob]

I am assuming the Babe Ruth museum will insure the card for him and also provide a little better security than what was pictured. Yikes. :eek:

[teetwoohsix]

Is he still the owner of the card and is allowing them to display it, or did he outright donate the card to the museum and now they own it?

Either way, he is obviously a very decent guy all the way around. I am just a little confused on the current ownership of this card.

Thanks,Clayton