Sale of rare Babe Ruth rookie card tops Lelands Spring Auction

A rare Babe Ruth rookie card from 1916 topped six figures in Lelands 2022 Spring Classic Auction, despite significant wear and a grade of 1.5.

The 1916 Blank Back #151 Babe Ruth Rookie Card, which shows a young Ruth as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox prior to his trade to the New York Yankees, sold for $244,489 on 44 bids.

Though the card is nicely centered, all four corners have moderate rounding with rough edges and a horizontal crease running through the center of the card. It is graded FR 1.5 by SGC.

Also See: PSA reopens Value service, close to completing card backlog 

The highest-selling card in the auction was a 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket #144 Tom Brady Rookie Autograph card, graded BGS NM 7 and Auto 10, which sold for $513,102.

Also See: Julio Rodriguez rookie cards soaring in value 

Other auction highlights include:

• A pair of game-worn 1985 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls Jordan 1 sneakers from his rookie season for $123,484.

• LeBron James’ first-ever Lakers 75th anniversary “City Edition” game-worn jersey from Dec. 3, 2021 for $120,076.

• A 1998-99 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems #53 Kobe Bryant card, graded BGS 9, for $114,943.

• A 2009 National Treasures Platinum Basketball Panini Replay Stephen Curry Rookie Patch Auto card, graded PSA 8, for $75,807.

• A Michael Jordan signed 1986 Fleer Rookie for $70,940.

• Tigers Woods’ signed badges from all five of his Masters victories for $52,937.

• A Wilt Chamberlain 100-point game ticket for $51,648.

• And a 2022 Steph Curry game-worn jersey for $38,167.

For the complete results of the Lelands 2022 Spring Classic Auction, visit https://lelands.com.