1914 Babe Ruth rookie card sells for record $7.2 million

A rare, iconic 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card sold for a record $7.2 million Sunday night in the Fall Auction at Robert Edward Auctions.

The sale is a record for a Ruth card or memorabilia and makes it the third highest-selling sports card of all time, falling just short of the $7.25 paid for a T206 Honus Wagner card in August 2022. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, graded SGC 9.5, set the all-time sports card record in 2022, selling for $12.6 million.

1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card. REA

Also See: Rare 1909 Walter Johnson card up for bid at Huggins & Scott

Though the card topped $7 million, it fell short of the $10 million predicted by REA. It had an opening bid of $2.5 million and quickly jumped to $5.2 million when bidding opened Nov. 16. It attracted 15 bids.

Graded SGC VG 3, the card is one of only 10 examples in existence and the highest grade to appear at auction in more than 15 years, according to REA.

The card is Ruth’s first-ever trading card and features the 19-year-old pitcher with his hometown Baltimore Orioles of the International League. The back of the card features Baltimore’s 1914 schedule.

1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card. Robert Edward Auctions

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Originally owned by 16-year-old paperboy Archibald Davis, who collected cards of the hometown Orioles, it was passed down through his family for more than 100 years. It had been on display at the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum in Baltimore from 1998 until 2021, when it was sold privately.

It is the highest-graded example in the SGC Population Report and the second-highest graded example in the hobby, with only a PSA VG-EX 4 graded higher. The last recorded public sales of the card, according to PSA, were in 2012 and 2013, with a Blue PSA 2 grade selling for $575,000 and a Red PSA 1 going for $450,300 in 2013.

“This auction was a watershed moment for the Baltimore News Babe Ruth card, for REA, and for the hobby. We are thrilled to see Babe Ruth stake his spot in the top three all-time with this record-setting result, and we are proud to have brought this incredibly significant card to auction for what may be the only time for many years to come,” REA President Brian Dwyer said. “This was a historic offering and a superb price realized against the backdrop of our largest auction ever.”

Also See: 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays rookie cards up for bid at Mile High

REA’s Fall Auction was also marked by the sales of several other notable Babe Ruth items, including:

• 1933 R319 Goudey #149 Babe Ruth (PSA NM-MT 8) $396,000.

1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card. Robert Edward Auctions

1921 Frederick Foto Babe Ruth (SGC GOOD 30; one of only six known) $168,000.

1921 Frederick Foto Babe Ruth card. Robert Edward Auction

• 1933 R319 Goudey #149 Babe Ruth (SGC NM 7) $168,000.

• 1921 Babe Ruth Original News Service Photograph (PSA/DNA Type I) (image used for 1921 and 1923-1924 Exhibits) $114,000.

• 1933 R319 Goudey #53 Babe Ruth (SGC NM 7) $108,000.

• 1933 R319 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth (SGC NM+ 7.5) $75,000.

The auction featured 15 items that exceeded $100,000, including:

• 2013 Tom Brady New England Patriots game-used road jersey $264,000.