1947 babe ruth autograph authentic/original ford motor co. American legion photo

[Mmurphy66]

Just back from PSA (5/29/24), clean case.

Please see pictures carefully. Pin hole, Staining, 3/4" tear on left side.

Have pictures of it before it was cased which shows condition better if interested.

Direct message me if interested.

$7,750 shipped.

RUTH, GEORGE HERMAN “BABE.” (1895-1948). The most famous American baseball player and considered one of the greatest in the sport SP. (“Babe Ruth”). 1p. 8vo. (Overall size 5” x 7”, image size 4½” x 5½”). N.p., N.d. [1947]. The well-known black-and-white photograph of Ruth, captured by Forrest Yantis, following through on a swing and looking up into the air, underneath which is printed “Consultant / Ford Motor Company / American Legion Junior Baseball,” signed in blue ink on the upper margin.

Ruth learned to play baseball from the priests at the Baltimore Catholic reform school where he spent 12 years of his youth. At 19, Ruth signed a contract with the minor-league Baltimore Orioles and, shortly thereafter, acquired the nickname “Babe.” He immediately demonstrated his talent as a pitcher, and in June 1914, the Boston Red Sox purchased his contract and brought him into the major leagues.

The “Babe” soon demonstrated both to the team’s management and fans his hitting prowess, beginning his record-breaking streak of home runs, an uncommon phenomenon in baseball’s so-called “dead-ball” era. In the 1918 World Series, Ruth led the Red Sox to victory despite pitching with an injured arm. By 1919, his hitting drew in a record number of fans yet, despite his popularity and enormous effect on ticket sales, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee famously (and stupidly) sold Ruth’s contract to the New York Yankees, beginning what became known as the “The Bambino’s Curse,” the Red Sox losing streak that lasted 85 years until they finally won the World Series in 2004.

Ruth played for the Yankees from 1920-1934, during which time he became an internationally recognized superstar, forever changing the way baseball was played. His fame boosted the New York Yankees’ popularity, and their new stadium, built between 1922 and 1923, came to be known as “the House that Ruth Built.” The “Babe” was one of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s first five inductees and remains an American icon.

In 1947, despite suffering from cancer, Ruth made a nation-wide tour as a “consultant” for an American Legion Junior baseball tournament sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, during which he signed our promotional photograph. Upon announcing his new role, Ruth told the press “They call me a ‘consultant,’ but I want to tell you that I plan to work hard at this job – just as hard as my health permits. The possibilities are unlimited, and I won’t be happy until we have every boy in America between the ages of 6 and 16 wearing a glove and swinging a bat,” (“The Home Run King Returns to Baseball: Ford Co. Signs Ruth to Life Post as Consultant in Legion Baseball,” The New York Times, Sheehan, April 8, 1947). Yantis was an insurance executive in Troy, NY as well as an enthusiastic and highly capable amateur photographer, whose image archive is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

PSA/DNA certified, encapsulated and graded signature at 7 and as Authentic.