Artwork
Babe Ruth Original Type 1 Photos top Goldin Photography Auction
By 1916, young Babe Ruth was one of the top pitchers in baseball.
In his third season on the mound for the Boston Red Sox, Ruth pitched in 44 games in 1916 with 40 starts and 23 complete games. He compiled a 23-12 record and a AL-leading 1.75 ERA.
Cards and memorabilia from the era featuring the young hurler-turned-slugger are highly coveted among vintage collectors. A 1916 Red Sox Babe Ruth Original Type I Photo sold for $85,400 to top Goldin’s 2026 Photography Auction.
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The auction, which closed on April 4, featured 100 lots of museum-quality Type I original photographs spanning sports, pop culture, and historic events. It generated total sales of more than $1 million.
Another Babe photo also attracted big dollars, with New York Herald-Tribune photographer Nat Fein’s 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of Ruth sold for $52,460. The historic Nat Fein / Babe Ruth image, called “Babe Bows Out,” featured an ill Ruth at Yankee Stadium when his number was retired.
Other key photos in the auction included: a 1950 Mickey Mantle first Yankees uniform Type I Photo for $73,200, and a 1979 Wayne Gretzky NHL debut game Type I Photo for $54,900.
Images of golf legend Bobby Jones (1926) and Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens (1936) sold for records of $31,720 and $26,840, respectively.
Other notable sales included:
• Michael Jordan 1984 Rookie AJ1/Jumpman Type I Original Photo: $40,260.
• Ty Cobb 1913–15 Detroit Tigers Portrait Type I Original Photo: $36,600.
• Michael Jordan The Largest Michael Jordan Vintage Photo (4-by-6 feet): $27,450.
• Ty Cobb 1907 Detroit Tigers/Ty Cobb Rookie Team Postcard-Used Type I Photo: $26,840.
• Shoeless Joe Jackson 1919 Chicago Black Sox Type I Original Photo by Underwood & Underwood: $25,537.
• Michael Jordan 1984 Rookie MSG Debut Type I Original Photo: $21,960.
• Michael Jordan 1986–87 Signed Type I Original Photo by Wilson Sporting Goods: $20,997.
