Sports Autographs — Baseball
Babe Ruth single-signed baseball (sweet spot, blue ink)
JSA-letter sweet-spot Ruths in 'EX' or better condition routinely clear $100,000. Provenance documentation back to the original signing event drives a 30–60% premium.
- Sale price
- $191K
- USD · hammer + buyer's premium
- Sale date
- April 30, 2023
- Venue
- Heritage Auctions
- Authentication
- JSA LOA (Full Letter)
Provenance
Signed in 1934, in family hands since the original signing; full notarized affidavit included.
Condition
Premium signature on sweet spot; ball shows expected aging, faint signature toning typical of pre-war ink.
Editorial note
JSA-letter sweet-spot Ruths in 'EX' or better condition routinely clear $100,000. Provenance documentation back to the original signing event drives a 30–60% premium.
Sources cited
Heritage Auctions catalog 50049
auction house
Reported figures reflect publicly-cited hammer + buyer's premium as of source date. May differ slightly from auction-house internal records. Educational reference, not appraisal.
Comparable comps
Similar items in the Field Index.
Curated by the editors as relevant comparable sales — same category, same era, or same authentication tier. Useful for triangulating value when no single comp answers the question.
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