Babe Ruth Auction to benefit Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum

Even though some of his on-field accomplishments no longer adorn the record books, the legend of Babe Ruth grows among sports memorabilia collectors as he continues to set records nearly 70 years after his death.

To honor the Sultan of Swat and king of sports memorabilia and keep his legend alive, for the second straight year, the Goldin Auctions Babe Ruth Auction will once again donate 5 percent of each winning bid to support the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum in Baltimore. The auction is open until Feb. 18 at www.GoldinAuctions.com.

“We are honored to once again honor Babe Ruth with this auction and help support the great work of the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum,” said Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions. “This year’s auction is loaded with some unique items that have never been offered for sale before and will excite collectors, especially those with impressive Ruth collections.”

Headlining the 74-lot auction is a lot featuring the 1920 contract signed by Ruth and promoter Abel Linares for Ruth’s Cuban Barnstorming Tour – his first foreign tour. After a breakthrough season in which he smashed 54 homers, Ruth was paid $1,000 per game for the 10-game tour with John McGraw’s Giants against Cuban squads. Although the contract was saved, none of the money was, as true to his legend, Ruth gambled away his earnings at the casino, race track and on jai alai before leaving the island. The one-page contract comes with a LOA from JSA and a photo of Ruth posed with jai alai players.

The auction also features seven Ruth trading cards, six Ruth signed baseballs, nearly a dozen rare photographs, numerous items from the Yankees’ silver anniversary celebration, a dozen tickets stubs and more.

For a look at the entire catalog, visit www.GoldinAuctions.com.