Auctions
Babe Ruth’s 40-ounce corked bat sells for $364K in Louisville Slugger Auction
Did you know that Babe Ruth used a corked bat when he first started hitting home runs for the New York Yankees?
A 40.4-ounce corked bat Ruth used during the 1920-22 seasons topped the 22nd Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Live Auction, selling for $364,250 through Hunt Auctions on Nov. 15.
According to Hunt Auctions, which conducted the auction, the bat features a unique corked barrel treatment not previously encountered on Ruth game-used bats. Based on factory records from manufacturer Hillerich & Bradsby, Ruth may have been experimenting with the weights of his bats and had the barrel treated with a corking process to lower the overall weight to an “adjusted” 40.4 ounces. The bat, which was offered for the first time publicly, retains a period shipping label used to ship the bat to the collector who owned it.
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The bat was one of several historic baseball collectibles that sold for more than six figures, including additional Ruth and Yankees pieces.
“Each year as the MLB baseball season draws to a close, we look forward to travelling to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory for our annual live auction,” Hunt Auctions President David Hunt said. “For the 22nd year we were honored to present an outstanding assemblage of historic baseball artifacts within the very location where many of them were originally manufactured. This particular group of auction materials was especially notable showcasing a fresh to the market Babe Ruth professional model bat.”
Dubbed the “Buckeye State” Babe Ruth bat, the bat dates to the 1920-22 period when Ruth first joined the Yankees after being sold by the Boston Red Sox. It was recently discovered within the family of former Ohio State Athletic Director Richard C. Larkins.
Additional auction highlights include:
• Ted Williams Boston Red Sox professional model home jersey, circa 1950s: $176,250.
• Marilyn Monroe single-signed baseball: $55,812.
• 1903 World Series Game #3 ticket stub: $47,000.
• 500 Home Run Club autographed baseball with Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx signatures: $108,687.
• Pete Rose 4,000th career hit baseball: $67,562.
• 1915 “Shoeless” Joe Jackson Cleveland Naps player contract: $39,362.
• Mickey Mantle New York Yankees professional model hat, circa 1951-63: $141,000.
• Roberto Clemente single-signed baseball (PSA/DNA 9 MINT): $111,625.
• Honus Wagner single-signed baseball (PSA/DNA 7 NM) $123,375.
