Fresh to the hobby after generations in the same family, this extraordinary Babe Ruth single signed and game used baseball comes with well-documented story of being a Bambino home run he hit at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Based on the provenance and its specific Official American League ball labeling, we can narrow the year down to either 1926 or 1927. Those two seasons represent the most glorious stretch of Ruth's career, culminating in his record 60-homer campaign of 1927 as the centerpiece of the fabled "Murderers' Row" lineup. Many consider The dominant '27 Yanks went on to win the World Series and are regarded as the greatest baseball team ever.

Sportsman's Park, home to both the American League's Browns and NL's Cardinals, was the site of 64 home runs (regular plus post-season ) off Babe's bat during his legendary career. In 1926 and '27, he hit a combined 13 homers there, including a famous three-homer game against the Cardinals in Game 4 of the 1926 World Series. During that time, J. Galt Allee was pursuing his undergraduate and medical degrees in St. Louis. When the Yankees came to town, he went to the game at Sportsman's Park and sat in the bleachers. As fate would have it, Babe's home run ended up in his hands and he was able to get Ruth to sign it after the game.

Ruth's lovely signature, authenticated by both PSA/DNA and Beckett, is applied in blue fountain pen across the sweet spot. Displaying his classic, flowing penmanship, the autograph remains clear and fully legible, appearing 7/10 in strength and eye appeal. The OAL baseball with red and blue stitching is properly labeled from the period with the blue facsimile signature of league president Ban Johnson. The "PAT'D. MAR. 17-25" patent stamp is unique to only 1926 and 1927. According to the official ball guide, it was most likely manufactured by Reach (Spalding) in 1926 based on the font of "American League Baseball" still being in print. In '27 the OAL font changed to script and "The Cork Center" changed to "The Cushioned Cork Center." The horsehide exhibits moderate toning, scattered soiling, surface scuffing and areas of brown staining, all consistent with a ball that saw game action. Free of shellac, it has been preserved naturally and kept untouched in one family's possession for a century.

A single signed Ruth baseball is among the most coveted autographs in all of sports, and one arriving directly from a family with an intriguing home run attribution is especially compelling. Accompanied by full letters of authenticity from Beckett and PSA/DNA, as well as a letter of provenance from the living son of the man who procured the ball.