Baseball signed by Babe Ruth to be auctioned in Rehoboth
A baseball signed by George Herman Ruth during his record-setting 60-home-run season of 1927 will be on the auction block Sunday, Feb. 15, in Rehoboth Beach.
The baseball is one of thousands of items for sale during Emmert Auctions' annual Presidents Day sale beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center beginning.
Emmert Auctions Associates owner William “Butch” Emmert said bidding on the baseball will begin at 1 p.m.
In 42 years of auctioneering, Emmert said, this will be only the second Babe Ruth-signed baseball that he has had the privilege of auctioning off. The first was signed by the Yankees team that won the 1932 World Series.
Babe Ruth autographs are rare and one of the most popular autographs that can be had, said Emmert. He said he's looking forward to auctioning the ball as an auctioneer and also as a baseball fan.
“[Babe Ruth] was a colorful character,” Emmert said, laughing. “It is exciting.”
The ball sits in a plastic cube, Babe Ruth’s name is clearly written across the ball and it definitely looks old. Emmert said the ball does not have a certificate of authenticity, but, he said, the ball has a great provenance, a collector’s term meaning the earliest known history of something.
Emmert said a local man has had the ball in his possession since he received it as a birthday present from his dad in January 1928. Emmert has written testimony from the man saying that his father befriended American League umpire William McGowan while the two worked at A.I. Du Pont and that McGowan was able to get the autograph.
“I have showed this ball to hundreds of people over the years and it, and my baseball cards, are my greatest possessions,” reads the written statement.
Emmert understands that collectors are going to want the certificate. He said an associate from the New Jersey-based signature authenticator James Spence Authentication will be inspecting the baseball’s autograph Saturday.
Emmert said the ball could fetch up to $20,000 if the signature is certified.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
