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1917-20 M101-6 Felix Mendelsohn Babe Ruth (Yankees) SGC 40 VG 3....
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Sold on May 16, 2025 for:
$56,120.00
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Description
The earliest card featuring the Babe as a member of the Yankees!
1917-20 M101-6 Felix Mendelsohn Babe Ruth (Yankees) SGC 40 VG
3. Readers of The Sporting News had access to these
ultra-rare premiums issued by Chicago sports photographer and
publisher Felix Mendelsohn, who advertised his wares in that
popular publication. Using baseball cards to sell food, candy and
tobacco was nothing new which is probably why we see this as a
first attempt to associate baseball cards with non-food products
but still products to appeal to kids' needs. As with any set
containing him, Babe Ruth is far and away the key card. Those
printed in the first three years of the promotion feature the young
southpaw as a member of the Boston Red Sox, and while Mendelsohn
did not update the image following the historic transaction that
set "The Curse of the Bambino" into motion, he did make note of the
Babe's new affiliation.That "C.F. Yankees" text beneath the name of our national pastime's most important figure assures the latest possible vintage of the Mendelsohn issue but the earliest for Ruth's paradigm-shifting service to the pinstriped cause. We should also note that the more common "Red Sox" variant identify the subject by surname only, debuting his iconic nickname only for the 1920 Yankees update.
As any veteran of the cardboard trade is well aware, oversized premiums such as this one (6.5x4.5") trod a far more treacherous path to a century of survival than those produced at more modest physical dimensions. While this specimen is properly assessed at SGC 40 VG 3 the premium is a miracle of preservation for suffering a lone crease and nothing more than some modest corner wear considering the elevated complications of storage. An absolute historical showpiece.
Auction Info
2025 May 16 - 18 Spring Sports Catalog Auction #50077 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
May, 2025
16th-18th
Friday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 29
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 700
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid per lot.
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