Ruth Tour of Japan Cap Tops $300K, Campanella Jacket Hits $71K

A new chapter was recently added to the legend of Babe Ruth. Grey Flannel Auctions sold the baseball cap the immortal slugger wore during the historic 1934 U.S. All-Star Tour of Japan for $303,277.

The game-used navy blue cap emblazoned “US” was acquired from the Ruth family more than 30 years ago and had remained in private hands from that day forward. It is the only known Ruth cap from the American team’s barnstorming tour of 18 Japanese cities.

“Nearly half a million Japanese fans lined the streets of Tokyo to view the team motorcade and welcome Babe Ruth, who rode through the Ginza district in an open-top limousine. The tour was a major news event and received press coverage worldwide,” said Richard E. Russek, president of Grey Flannel Auctions.

The Ruth cap opened for bidding at $50,000, but competition really heated up during the final 24 hours of the Dec. 17 absentee, phone and Internet auction. The winning bid of $303,277 was placed by a private collector who wishes to remain anonymous.

Another high-profile cap, game-worn by Joe DiMaggio, dated to around 1937, when the great Yankee Clipper was still a rookie. Extremely rare and in beautiful, all-original condition, the cap opened for bidding at $25,000 and eventually reached $151,652.

From the same general era, a 1932 baseball signed by the New York Yankees – with 23 signatures, including those of Ruth, Lou Gehrig and seven other Hall of Famers – was a high flyer at $115,242.

Other auction highlights included a 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers heavyweight satin jacket that was owned and worn by Roy Campanella selling for $71,554, and a circa-1980s Philadelphia 76ers road uniform game-worn by Julius “Dr. J” Erving bought for $44,428.

In total, Grey Flannel’s Holiday Auction 2014 grossed $2,051,073, inclusive of a 20 percent buyer’s premium. The reported game-used sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during his freshman year at North Carolina brought $33,387, but authenticity questions cropped up after the sale and Grey Flannel offered a full refund to the winning bidder.

To view the fully illustrated catalog complete with prices realized, visit Grey Flannel Auctions online at www.greyflannelauctions.com. To contact Grey Flannel about consigning to a future auction, call 631-288-7800, ext. 223.