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1916 M101-5 Sporting News #151 Babe Ruth Rookie SGC EX+ 70 - Highest Graded!

Sold For: $84,000
Year: 1916
Auction: 2014 Fall
Lot #: 1
Auction: Featured
Graded EX+ 70 by SGC. Presented is an extraordinary high-grade example of one of card collecting's greatest icons: Babe Ruth's rookie card. Universally recognized as one of the most famous and highly prized of all baseball-card rarities, it would be hard for a piece of cardboard to better symbolize the history, the essence of American sport, than this Sporting News rookie card of Babe Ruth. Ruth had only pitched in four games with Boston in 1915 but fortunately impressed the card manufacturer enough to warrant inclusion in this major issue. The significance of Ruth's rookie card transcends the world of card collecting. Every scholarly list of vintage-card collecting's most important treasures includes Ruth's first Major League card. (Note: The 1914 Baltimore News card of Ruth featuring him as a minor leaguer, of course, predates both the M101-4/5 issues.) This is one of the finest Babe Ruth rookie cards we have ever offered. It is a strong EX+ example, with only the slightest hint of insignificant wear to the strong, square corners (primarily lower left). The offered card presents with a crisp, flawless image of a slender Ruth in his pitching follow-through. Both the front and blank back are bright, crisp, and clean. Centered to the left with a faint print line (visible near the right border) as is extremely common to this card and issue. This example is one of only two M101-5 blank-back #151 Ruth cards graded at this level with none higher by SGC. (Two 1916 Ruth rookie cards with different backs grade higher by SGC, one a Herpolsheimer reverse and one a Sporting News reverse). The rookie card of Babe Ruth is without question one of the most important cards in all of card collecting. This is a particularly strong and very striking example in all respects of one of the most famous, significant, and highly prized of all baseball cards. SOLD FOR $84,000
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