Ted Williams
Rare classic Babe Ruth photo brings record sale at SCP
Rare memorabilia from two of the New Yankees’ greatest sluggers, past and present, attracted big prices in the February Finest Auction at SCP Auctions.
A rare, historic Type 1 original photo of Babe Ruth in 1920 sold for $153,389, a record for a Ruth Yankees photo. The photo, taken by well-known photographer Paul Thompson, shows Ruth swinging for the fences.
Another Thompson Type I photo of Ruth picking out his home run bat sold for $52,417, while an oversized Ruth autographed photo signed after his historic 1927 season sold for $34,190.
In the same auction, a game-used Aaron Judge jersey from his historic 2022 season sold for $82,864. Judge wore the jersey when he hit three of his AL-record 62 home runs.
The highest-selling in the auction was USA Hockey player Steve Christoff’s gold medal from the 1980 “Miracle On Ice” team, which sold for $375,961.
Several vintage cards also had impressive sales, including: a 1909-11 T206 PSA-graded complete set with a 4.27 Set Rating for $275,706; one of a few known autographed 1934 Goudey #37 Lou Gehrig cards for $137,865; and a popular 1952 Topps #312 Jackie Robinson miscut card with part of the #311 Mickey Mantle card clearly visible took for $48,316.
Other pieces of game-used memorabilia included: Ted Williams’ 1947 Triple Crown trophy for $124,289; a Ted Williams glove photo-matched to multiple images from 1955-56 for $60,667; Bill Russell’s NBA 50 Greatest Players ring for $82,864; Muhammad Ali’s 1965-66 United States passport for $91,151; a 1965 Pelé Brazil jersey with a MEARS A10 designation for $45,578; and a 1962 Cassius Clay poem predicting his victory over Sonny Liston for $35,801.
Other auction highlights included:
• 1950 Bowman #22 Jackie Robinson card (PSA 8), $34,190
• C. 1925 Ty Cobb single-signed OAL (Johnson) Baseball, $33,378
• 2009 Panini Next Day Signatures #SCU Stephen Curry autographed rookie card (PSA 7, 10 Auto), $30,343
