An exceedingly rare and highly sought-after piece of baseball memorabilia is set to be featured in an upcoming auction later this month. The 1915 Boston Red Sox team postcard, which notably includes Babe Ruth in his debut season, is one of just ten such graded postcards known to exist, making it a remarkable find for collectors and enthusiasts alike.
The auction house, Heritage Auctions, will present this item in its highly anticipated February Platinum Auction. Notably, this postcard is the highest-graded example of any Babe Ruth rookie year card, with a PSA rating of 6. With a pre-sale estimate suggesting it could fetch upwards of $1 million, it’s poised to attract significant attention from bidders.
The postcard itself depicts the Red Sox team labeled as the “American League Champions,” indicating its issuance time frame, possibly before or during the 1915 World Series. Babe Ruth is prominently featured in the back row of the team photograph.
During that year’s World Series, the Red Sox played their games at Braves Field instead of Fenway Park due to the former’s larger seating capacity. This choice allowed more fans to witness the action during the championship.
On the postcard, each member of the Red Sox team is identified by surname and playing position. Ruth is shown standing next to Carl Mays, another rookie pitcher. Mays would later join Ruth in playing for the 1920 New York Yankees. However, Mays is also infamously remembered for a tragic incident in which his pitch struck and killed Cleveland player Ray Chapman in August of that year. The card also features Hall of Famers Tris Speaker and Harry Hooper.
This auction follows the recent sale of a 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card, which fetched a staggering $7.25 million. Notably, both the 1914 and 1915 cards have the same graded population of ten each.
Heritage Auctions has described this 1915 postcard as one of the most significant trading cards ever to be offered in the hobby’s auction market, highlighting its rarity and historical value. As baseball history collectors and fans of Babe Ruth eagerly anticipate the bidding, the auction is set to commence on February 2nd, marking a significant event in the world of baseball memorabilia.
