A Babe Ruth Baseball Card has sold for $7,200,000 to become the third most valuable sports card of all time
The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Rookie card, graded a 3 by SGC, was sold via Robert Edward Auctions, and bidding ended on December 3.
The price falls just short of the T206 Honus Wagner sale of $7.25M (graded SGC 2) in August 2022. However, it is still someway off the record 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which sold for a record $12.6M in August 2022; That card was graded a much higher 9.5 by SGC.
The sale does also now mean that the top 3 most expensive sports cards ever sold have all been graded by SGC.
There are two colored versions of the card, blue and red. The last known public sale of the card was back in 2013, when a red version, graded a 1 by PSA, sold for $450,300; This latest sale is also a red colored version of the elusive card.
ICYMI: 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card sells for $7.2M to become the 3rd most expensive sports card of all time! 🤑
— Sports Card Specialist (@SportsCardSpec) December 4, 2023
3. 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth - SGC 3 - $7.2M 🆕
2. T206 Honus Wagner - SGC 2 - $7.25M
1. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle - SGC 9.5 - $12.6M pic.twitter.com/N15u9kBn8o
Why Is This 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth Card Worth So Much?
The super rare 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card was released at a time when the Sultan of Swat was a young pitcher playing in the minor leagues with the Baltimore Orioles, and there are very few remaining copies of the card around today.
It is believed that only around 10 copies in total of the Babe Ruth 1914 rookie, released by The Baltimore News, exist today.
This copy isn’t just the highest grade recorded by SGC, but the highest graded copy to go up for public auction in more than 15 years; A PSA 4 graded copy does exist, which could potentially be worth even more, should it be sold.
The age and extreme rarity of it, particularly in this grade, are big factors towards the huge price tag.
The now legendary Babe Ruth, who held baseball’s lifetime home run record for 39 years, is a very collectable name in the baseball card hobby, which certainly also contributes to its value.
