Ultra Rare 1914 Babe Ruth Card Sells For $7.2 Million
In the early morning hours of December 4, 2023, a Robert Edwards Auction ended with a bid of $7.2 million. The item was an extremely rare 1914 Babe Ruth, a player card and game schedule. The card is one of only ten still known to be in existence. They were only distributed locally in the Baltimore News.
This particular red variant (there is also a blue one) is the cream of the crop. Last valued at $6 million in 2021, this week's auction sale price gives the card's value a 20% increase. Is it a good value, or perhaps a demonstration of the greater fool theory?
Dubbed "the world's most valuable card" by Forbes in a 2009 article, this particular 1914 Ruth has seen a pretty remarkable price appreciation over the years. The card was originally acquired by then-paperboy Archibald Davis, who passed his collection on to his son Richard.
In 1998, when the Davis collection was loaned to the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, the card was appraised for a mere $7500. After legal battles over ownership of the collection, a $1.5 million offer rocketed the value of not only the card itself but the entire private collection it was a part of. In 2020, the collection returned to the museum for a reported sum of $5 million. From a paperboy to obscurity to four digits to six figures, all within a 25 year span.
Other 1914 "Baltimore News" Ruth cards, in inferior conditions, sale history:
PSA PR 1 copies of the Ruth card sold for $150,800 and $152,750 at auction in the mid-2000s
A PSA Good 2 Ruth (Blue) sold for $575,000 in 2012
A PSA Poor 1 Ruth (Red) sold for $350,000 in 2012
A PSA Poor 1 Ruth (Red) sold for $450,300 in 2013