Whats the earliest card of Babe Ruth in a Yankees uniform?
 

Looking for some information on what card or cards has Babe Ruth in his Yankees uniform and not his Red Sox Uniform. I like the early Ruth cards of him in the Yankees uniform. The 1921 E220 has him in a Yankees uniform, is there something older than that one?

Hi

That is a great question and while I started my Ruth collecting this is one of the articles that I came across about it and depending on what you consider a card vs promo cards vs strip cards gives different answers

Here is the LINK

https://waxpackgods.com/babe-ruth-baseball-card/

I assume that these cards were issued in conjunction with the 1920 off-season tour that Ruth did with Carl Mays. The newspaper is from July 19, 1920. Unfortunately, neither one is mine.

Great pictures to show to anybody who thinks of Babe as being just this rotund non-athletic guy.

Mays on tour to capitalize on the publicity from killing Ray Chapman with a pitch? Wow.

I think that Mays has been demonized over the years.

What happened, happened. Chapman was a well-liked ball player, even Ty Cobb liked Chapman.

Maybe start with Wikipedia's article on Carl Mays, then keep reading other articles.

As for that 1920 touring team... Would you say that Babe Ruth joined up with that team to capitalize on Mays having killed Chapman? I doubt it.

Ruth
 

Kevin is on to something.

I believe he can also be seen (wearing early pinstripes) on his 1920 Tex Rickard "Headin' Home" Card. Some say he was with the Yankees when his Frederick Foto card was issued, however he is pictured in a Red Sox uniform for that card.

i've seen the ruth swinging image identified as the first image of ruth with the yankees in a newspaper insert.

1921 self-developing card from our last auction comes to mind.

I would say most likely Headin' Home Babe Ruth cards are his first cards in a Yankees uniform.
Headin' Home was released on Sept 19, 1920. The film was played at several Theatres during that time, and some would offer advertising cards for the film. The advertising cards would have a picture of Babe Ruth on the front wearing his Yankees uniform. The back would typically be blank with a theatre stamp. Some examples are Welcome Theatre and Majestic Theatre. I've seen some with actual dates on the back which is helpful. Oct. 25th is one date. I would assume these were handed out at least from Sept. - end of year 1920. I'm not sure when the cards were made but my guess is sometime April-July 1920.

I would agree with this as long as we accept these as Ruth Cards as some people consider these Promo cards and thus not true cards.
So as a group how do we consider this

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...921%20Ruth.jpg

1921 Exhibit.

Most of what I know about the Mays/Chapman incident--not much--comes from Joe Wood on "The Glory of Their Times" audio. I didn't take sides in my comment, merely expressed wonderment at what appears to be crass capitalization of it given the timing. Mays did have a great season, though, so maybe he would have gotten equal billing with Ruth without the notoriety of the "pitch that killed." I tend to doubt it, but who knows? As for the Babe, I'm sure he was just happy to be picking up some extra cash for the tour; whether he gave any thought to Mays's involvement or had any feelings about it one way or the other would only be conjecture.

Is there any way to know what time of year this 1921 strip card was issued? It's not a photo but I guess it would at least be a candidate.

Hey Adam. Is it known what uniform Ruth is wearing on this Exhibit? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that CLEVELAND is spelled out on front of the jersey, but that obviously makes no sense. I've always wondered.

Definitely looks like it says "New York" to me.

1920 Ruth strip card
 

Hank, I applaud your use of TGOTT as a source. Genuinely. EEE vers. SI cot. Those are names many of us mispronounce today. Everyone on this board should listen to those 4 CDs. The first was the Cubs second baseman, the second one was that Black Sox pitcher. Woods' segment is a wonderful lesson on equivocation. Did you bet on baseball? No!!! YES!!!! And after listening to Sam Crawford, it makes me think that Wagner was the best ball player ever, not Cobb nor Ruth.

Mays threw a pitch that hit Chapman in the head. Chapman tried to take a couple of steps toward first and collapsed. Mays stayed on the mound, away from him. Mays stayed in the game, Chapman was taken to a hospital. The game went on. Chapman died early the next day.

I doubt Mays was trying to kill Chapman. Chapman died because he was hit by a pitched ball. It wasn't an unexpected pitch. It was in the top of the 5th at the Polo Grounds (the home park for the Yankees that season). Smokey Joe Woods would have been on the bench as an outfielder, he didn't play that day. Harry Lunte went in to pinch run and then play in the field. Speaker was the next hitter and he reached on a fielder's choice, eventually scoring Cleveland's 4th run (Cleveland won 4-3). Mays started the day going for his 100th career win. The Cleveland players didn't revolt, nor storm the field, nor refuse to bat, nor chase Mays out of the game. Seems fault would go to the pitcher, and a bit to the batter, maybe the ball was dirty. Mays did have an unconventional, submarine type pitch. Chapman was hitless that Monday, his last game. And he was 0 for 4 on Sunday, the day before, at home in Cleveland.

I don't think anyone killed anyone that day. I do think Chapman died a few hours after being hit in the head by a pitch Mays delivered. Mays won over 100 more games in the Majors after that game. I deem it a tragic accident. I figure Mays barnstormed the season before, and the season after... That was what ball players did then. I don't think they barnstormed to capitalize on Mays having thrown that pitch.

I'm encouraged about there being people here who've listened to Mr. Ritter's The Glory Of Their Times, 4 CD set. Guys, that's must listening!! And after you've listened to that, listen to it again in a year or two.

Davy Jones, Chief Meyers, Sam Crawford, Fred Snodgrass, Hans Lobert, Rube Marquard.... if you love those white border T206s you have to listen to the voices and pronunciations of those guys.

Not likely a Yankee uniform there. Yanks wore dark caps in 1920.

Okay try this one
 

https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?s...oduct.chain%5D

or even better one with the pin stripes ( I Think) https://i.psacard.com/cardfacts/1920...396.jpg?h=1000

Here's a few 1920 strip cards

I agree ... It does look like Cleveland. Very odd.

it says a scrunched up NEW YORK if you look closely.

Yup. The "O" is bifurcated diagonally by a fabric fold, which makes it look like an "L"

No applause needed, Frank, I only brought up GOTT because I co-produced and edited the audio set and that's where most of my information on the event comes from. I'm sure Mays wasn't trying to kill anyone, but as you say he had an unusual underarm delivery that would typically break into a righthanded hitter. And, as several of Ritter's interview subjects emphasized, the "beanball" was just another pitch to most pitchers in that time. Lefty Grove: "There were only two pitchers who wouldn't throw at hitters the entire time I played, Herb Pennock and Walter Johnson." Two pitchers in 20 years of baseball! It's actually amazing that only one batter died from a pitched ball. From now on, though, I will definitely refrain from using the terminology that Chapman was killed, and especially that anyone killed him, just that he died that day. Thanks for the props on the GOTT audio, by the way, I also agree with you completely on that!

The W514 strip card is labeled 1919-1921.
Possibly that one is one of the earliest?

Don’t think that he is pictured in a Yankees uniform.

The w514 image used of Ruth is a popular Conlon image of him batting when a Red Sox

Ahh got it.
Thank you! :)

All the Headin Home poses would fit the bill, here's mine:

The E253 is 1921 but worth mentioning as an early one.

Nice cards Erick and I would think that the Heading Home Theatre Cards if we treat them as a baseball card(some collectors might say it is a theatre promo card and not a true baseball card) might be the earliest so far in a yankee uniform

id expect some of the headin' home cards to possibly have date stamp on the back?

Jan 5, 1920 the yankees purchased ruth from the red sox.