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Grey Flannel Auction

Read an article about the recent auction of this ball by Grey Flannel. I’m curious as to people’s gut reactions about this autograph. Also wondering if anyone can verify the story, namely that Babe Ruth signed it while dining in a restaurant THE NIGHT BEFORE HE DIED. I can’t recall ever having read such a thing. The ball, like other beautifully preserved examples I’ve seen come to market in recent years, lacks a particular trait of Ruth’s handwriting, IMHO

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on February 5, 2020 at 10:00am

Babe Ruth died in the hospital. If he was in a restaurant the night before he died, I'm sure that's recorded somewhere.

Could you please post the lot description? Reporters make mistakes.

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Permalink Reply by Travis Wallace on February 5, 2020 at 10:10am

Great point, re: mistakes. Here’s the description:

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Permalink Reply by Woody2Shoes on February 15, 2020 at 9:39pm

Travis, it's a lovely, heart-rendering story, but truth be told, that's all it is, a story. Like Goldilocks and the 3 bears that were all Chicago Cubs. Ruth no longer was out in public for the last 3 weeks of his life. This is a matter of record not conjecture. At death's door during his final evening he didn't suddenly bolt up out of his bed, get dressed and say, "I feel sick, somebody drop me off at the restaurant and then right after I eat, drop me at the Gate of Heaven cemetery in Hawthorne on your way home". And at which restaurant did this miraculous appearance take place? You'll notice that detail is missing (for a reason). And a notarized letter of what exactly? Was the notary present when the ball was signed? Or is it the script of the story that's notarized? Is the little girl's name also misspelled with one 'r' on the document? lol

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on February 5, 2020 at 3:30pm

"...On July 26, 1948, Ruth left the hospital to attend the premiere of the film The Babe Ruth Story. Shortly thereafter, Ruth returned to the hospital for the final time. He was barely able to speak...." - Wicki (obviously needs checking). On July 13th he was using a bat as a cane.

"...When he died on Aug. 16, 1948, just a little more than a year after that Babe Ruth Day and a few months after his farewell to Yankee Stadium, TIME’s obituary noted how surprising it was that Ruth was even able to make it to that celebration of his life, months after “sports editors everywhere prepared obituaries.”..." - Obituary 1948

"...The next time he appeared in public, his last, was on July 26th that year for the New York premier of a Hollywood movie, The Babe Ruth Story, with actor William Bendix playing Ruth. Shortly thereafter he was back in the hospital.

On August 16th, 1948, Babe Ruth died of throat cancer. He was 53..." - Babe Ruth Days

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Permalink Reply by Woody2Shoes on February 21, 2020 at 7:52pm

So to follow up from 2 weeks ago, did any suc....….. er', … bidders take the long walk off the short pier and embrace the plunge on this into the abyss?