Mid Summer Classic Auction 2016
Tue, Mar 8, 2016 04:00PM EST - Sat, Aug 20, 2016 11:00PM EDT
Timed Auction
Lot 934
BABE RUTH 1920'S "SPORTING NEWS" DIE-CUT ADVERTISING SIGN - ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN EXAMPLES
Sold for
$40,364.40
Sold Price includes BP
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $200 | $25 |
| $500 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $30,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $25,000 |
| $500,000 | $50,000 |
| $1,000,000 | $100,000 |
| $1,500,000 | $150,000 |
It was a perfect match: the best baseballer and the best baseball magazine. Sometime around 1927 The Sporting News put its considerable resources behind the Babe and produced this artistic die-cut cardboard advertising counter sign"”of which only one other copy is known to have survived. Production quality is extremely high with bold color tones stylistic multi-hued fonts and a serene full-length portrait of Ruth before an empty dugout and filled grandstand. The sales pitch reads "Babe Ruth - Famous Home Run Hitter Says: The Sporting News will keep the baseball fan in touch with just what he wants to know. For Sale Here - Weekly the Year Round." A fine-print copyright line in the lower-right corner attributes "Compton & Sons Co." of St. Louis and New York. Condition of the 8-1/4" x 12" display is Near Mint impacted only by a discreet edge wrinkle (above the "B" in "Babe") and negligible perimeter wear. Ruth himself is Gem Mint! For such a delicate die-cut piece whose exposed contours practically begged for mishandling such preservation is simply beyond belief. What's more the reverse-side stand is one-hundred-percent intact and appears never to have been folded back for usage. Relative to its aforementioned sole extant companion the offered Sporting News sign is superior in terms of condition while the other showed slightly more graphic detail. When you consider the era player representation rarity and condition of the offered piece it surely must considered among the finest advertising pieces that has ever surfaced in the hobby.
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