Rare 1914 Babe Ruth rookie card could challenge baseball card record
A rare example of the first card ever made of the most famous player in baseball history is coming to auction and could threaten the baseball card record.
One of only 10 examples of the iconic 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Rookie card graded SGC VG 3 will headline the Fall Sports Catalog Auction at Heritage Auctions Oct. 24-26.
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The Babe, of course, is best known as baseball’s first slugger who starred for the New York Yankees from 1920-34. But before he became the game’s greatest home run hitter, he started his MLB career as a lanky left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. But his 1914 rookie card highlights the city where the Babe was born and began his baseball career—Baltimore.
“Not only is this an absolutely incredible rookie card of baseball’s first superstar, Babe Ruth, it is also one of the rarest cards of any issued during Ruth’s career, with only 10 examples ever graded and encapsulated,” says Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of sports auctions. “If a collector wishes to have a seat at this table for one of the finest Babe Ruth rookie cards in existence, then the price for that seat will reflect both the rarity and desirability of this fantastic offering.”
There were believed to be 17 different subjects for the original 1914 Baltimore News issue, with only 11 known to remain in existence. Of Ruth’s card, only 10 have been graded, with Heritage’s SGC 3 example the second-highest grade.
In December 2023, an SGC 3 example of the card sold at REA for $7.2 million, a record for a Babe Ruth card and the third highest-selling baseball card, trailing the $12.6 million 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card and a $7.25 million T206 Honus Wagner card. A #1/1 Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant Logoman Auto card recently set the all-time sport card record, selling for $12.9 million.
This also is the most famous example of the Ruth rookie, having been displayed for years at The Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum near Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The auction marks just the second time in the last decade that any Baltimore News Ruth card has reached the auction block.
The auction also features a photo-matched 1966 Sandy Koufax game-worn and signed Los Angeles Dodgers jersey (SGC Superior) from the final season of the Dodgers great and Hall of Famer.
Some of the top cards in the auction will be offered together through a 1909-11 T206 White Border SGC graded near set (518/524) that is just six cards shy of completion and ranks third among all such sets graded by PSA. The set features a Who’s Who of the greatest players from the early 20th century, including Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins., Christy Mathewson, Johnny Evers, Cy Young, Willie Keeler, Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, Frank Chance, and more.
Another highlight is one of just two examples of a 1996 Select Certified Mirror Gold Derek Jeter #100 to receive a PSA 10 grade.
Other cards featured include a selection of 17 fresh-to-market 3-D card lots from a former Topps executive, including 10 well-known 1968 Topps 3-D cards and seven prototypes. The group includes one of just three examples of a 1968 Topps 3-D Prototype Brooks Robinson PSA Authentic, possibly the rarest card ever made of the Baltimore Orioles legend. Other treasures from the collection include 3-D Prototypes of Bart Starr, Tucker Frederickson and Carl Yastrzemski.