Louisville, Kentucky ~ Hunt Auctions, a sports memorabilia auction company based in Exton, Pennsylvania, and the official auction company of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, sold Babe Ruth's final professional road uniform Saturday, November 15, for $310,500 at the fifth annual Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Auction.
The Brooklyn Dodgers uniform (pre-auction estimate $150,000/200,000) is from Ruth's days as a coach in 1938 and is a record auction price for a coach's uniform.
"Babe Ruth proved once again he is larger then life," says David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions. "The prices realized today for the Ruth uniform among others are an excellent indication of the resilience of the sports memorabilia market in the face of a difficult economy."
The uniform comes from Ruth's lone season coaching with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and features a heavy gray flannel Spalding jersey and matching pants, both of which include Ruth's full name in chain stitch. The uniform shirt displays the blue Dodgers team name across the front, and Ruth's uniform number "35" on the back.
The jersey remains in completely original condition, and exhibits the light to moderate use consistent with Ruth's position as the Brooklyn Dodger's first base coach. Ruth ended his illustrious career in baseball as a coach, though his dream had always been to become a Major League manager.
A Babe Ruth photograph by Charles Conlon, circa 1927 sold for $23,000.
The Brooklyn Dodgers uniform (pre-auction estimate $150,000/200,000) is from Ruth's days as a coach in 1938 and is a record auction price for a coach's uniform.
"Babe Ruth proved once again he is larger then life," says David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions. "The prices realized today for the Ruth uniform among others are an excellent indication of the resilience of the sports memorabilia market in the face of a difficult economy."
The uniform comes from Ruth's lone season coaching with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and features a heavy gray flannel Spalding jersey and matching pants, both of which include Ruth's full name in chain stitch. The uniform shirt displays the blue Dodgers team name across the front, and Ruth's uniform number "35" on the back.
The jersey remains in completely original condition, and exhibits the light to moderate use consistent with Ruth's position as the Brooklyn Dodger's first base coach. Ruth ended his illustrious career in baseball as a coach, though his dream had always been to become a Major League manager.
A Babe Ruth photograph by Charles Conlon, circa 1927 sold for $23,000.
