Babe Ruth’s 1918 endorsement contract with Louisville Slugger — the famed Kentucky baseball bat manufacturer — is up for bid in The MINT25 Auction, which runs through Saturday, Jan. 29, and is being conducted by Lelands. The MINT Collective event is scheduled for Las Vegas March 25-27.
The Sultan of Swat signed his first baseball bat contract July 9, 1918, six times in black fountain pen with the insignia “Geo. H. Ruth.” In 1918, Ruth was with the Red Sox, pitching 29 ⅓ scoreless innings in the World Series against the Chicago Cubs three months after he signed the document.
The contract is Ruth’s first bat endorsement contract with Hillerich & Bradsby, which is a manufacturer for Wilson Sporting Goods, part of the Louisville Slugger brand. This particular agreement gave the company the rights to make baseball bats with a copy of Ruth’s signature on the barrel.
Now, it’s expected to fetch an estimated price of $800,000 to $1,000,000. The starting bid for this rare Ruth keepsake is $100,000.
“This is simply the most important Babe Ruth endorsement deal in history, and with six pristine examples of his signature, it is the finest Ruth autographed piece ever offered publicly,” Lelands President Mike Heffner told FOX Business. “Ruth’s historic first contract acceptance with Louisville Slugger is just as significant as any of his most famous game-used bats because it marks the birth of his signature model baseball bat.”
We are proud to present Lot #7 of 25 in the hobby’s most exclusive auction event of the year!