Circa 1930s PM11 "Anonymous" Babe Ruth Pin

Sold For:

$1,200

Year:

1930

Auction:

2018 Spring

Lot #:

2138

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Exceedingly rare Babe Ruth pin issued during the 1930s. The image pictures a smiling Ruth as a member of the Yankees, with his name and team affiliation printed below. This pin, and the set to which it belongs, have always intrigued collectors because of its mysterious nature: No one knows exactly when it was issued or by whom. The set was known to Jefferson Burdick, who gave it a designation of PR3-4 in the American Card Catalog. Years later, Burt Sugar listed the set as PM11 "Anonymous" in The Sports Collectors Bible. The only thing we are fairly sure of is that the following 10 players make up the complete set: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Frankie Frisch, Chuck Klein, Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, Bill Terry, and Lefty O'Doul. This is the first example of this seldom-seen Ruth pin that we have ever offered and we cannot recall having seen another. The pin displays light surface wear and moderate chipping along a small portion of the border. Moderate oxidation affects the reverse. .875 inches in diameter. Reserve $500. Estimate (open).