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Extremely Rare 1921 Frederick Foto Babe Ruth SGC GOOD 30 - One of Only Six Known!

Sold For: $168,000
Year: 1921
Auction: 2023 Fall
Lot #: 10
Auction: Prewar Baseball - 1910s and 1920s Cards
Graded GOOD 30 by SGC. One of the most important, and because of its extreme rarity, also one of the most overlooked Ruth cards in all of card collecting. This card of Babe Ruth is significant not just as the key card of the rare 1921 Frederick Fotos set but also as one of the earliest cards to feature him identified as a member of the New York Yankees. In fact, this card was issued so soon after Ruth joined the Yankees that he is clearly pictured wearing a uniform with "Red Sox" across the front, though the card design identifies him as "Babe Ruth N. Y." In addition, the photo is unique to this card and appears in no other set. In fact, we can't find this youthful image anywhere except on this card. The Frederick Foto of Babe Ruth is an incredible rarity, and to the best of our knowledge this is one of only six known examples. The small "tobacco-size" card, measuring about 1-3/16 x 2-5/8 inches, features an exceptional high-quality real photo of Ruth. Issued by the Sacramento-based Frederick Foto photography studio, this rare set is composed of players from both the Pacific Coast and Major leagues. The extreme rarity of this card is obviously a result of its regional distribution. It is unknown exactly how these cards were distributed. Ruth's 1921 season was one for the record books, as he took the baseball world by storm with his prodigious batting feats. In addition to setting new single-season records for home runs (59) and RBI (177), Ruth also lead the league in runs (177) and slugging percentage (.512) in powering the Yankees to their first pennant in franchise history. The card has a very tiny crease in the upper left, evenly rounded corners, and is slightly miscut along the left side (a portion of another card from the set is visible along the right side). The blank back is clean with very minor soiling. REA has handled two of the six known Frederick Foto examples, including the sale of the offered example in 2015, which appeared as Lot 10 in the spring auction. It has been consigned to this auction directly from the purchaser at that sale. As a point of reference, a PSA VG+ 3.5 example of this card just recently appeared in an August 2023 public auction, where it realized a price of $234,000. This is an outstanding, fascinating, and very rarely seen example of one of Ruth's most interesting and distinctive early cards. Opening Bid $50,000.
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