Babe Ruth hasn’t played in an MLB game since 1935. Despite that, The Great Bambino remains arguably baseball’s greatest icon. Proof of that was seen recently when some of his memorabilia was auctioned.
Goldin Auctions sold a bat used by Ruth over the 1929 and 1930 seasons, as well as the final contract that he signed with the New York Yankees in 1934. Combined, the two brought in nearly $500,000 dollars.
“Goldin says the final price on the Ruth bat was $196,400. The identity of the buyer has not been made public,” TMZ Sports noted. “There’s more … an authentic contract Ruth signed with the Yankees in 1934 (his final contract with the Yankees) also sold for $282,325!”
It would be interesting to know what games the bat was used for. Unfortunately, that information was not available. In a sign of how much times have changed, TMZ noted that the bat weighs 37.8 ounces and is 35.25 inches long. By contrast, current Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge uses a bat that is a similar length (35 inches) but much lighter (33 ounces).
Interestingly enough, the contract was sold for more than eight times what Ruth made for it ($35,000).
Ruth has been deceased for nearly 70 years. But clearly, the interest in him has only grown as the decades have gone by.