April 27, 1947 New York Yankees (vs. Washington Senators) Ticket Stub PSA FAIR 1.5 (MK) - Babe Ruth Day!

Sold For:

$1,500

Year:

1947

Auction:

2024 Spring

Lot #:

2640

Category:

Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia

Rare ticket stub issued for the April 27th, 1947, contest between the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators, a game in which Hall of Famer Babe Ruth was honored! Graded FAIR 1.5 (MK) by PSA. This is one of only seven examples graded by PSA to date. In 1947, organized baseball honored its greatest star by formally declaring that April 27th would be officially known as "Babe Ruth Day." While each ballpark around the land sponsored its own special ceremony recognizing Ruth's achievements and contributions to the game, the main event took place at Yankee Stadium, where 58,339 fans showed up to say goodbye to the fabled "Sultan of Swat." Ruth was seriously ill at the time, stricken with throat cancer, yet he still managed to say a few words to the fans. Speaking in a very hoarse voice, he delivered a brief, yet poignant speech: "Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. You know how bad my voice sounds. Well, it feels just as bad. You know, this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth. That means the boys. And after you're a boy and grow up to play ball, then you come to the boys you see representing clubs today in your national pastime. The only real game in the world, I think, is baseball. As a rule, people think that if you give boys a football or a baseball or something like that, they naturally become athletes right away. But you can't do that in baseball. You got to start from way down, at the bottom, when the boys are six or seven years of age. You can't wait until they're 14 or 15. You got to let it grow up with you, if you're the boy. And if you try hard enough, you're bound to come out on top, just as these boys here have come to the top now. There have been so many lovely things said about me today that I'm glad to have had the opportunity to thank everybody." Offered is a rare ticket stub from that historic day. The ticket, issued for a "Mezzanine Res. Seat," includes the date, "April 27, 1947," printed on the front. This is the first example we have offered in the past twenty years. The ticket stub (1-5/8 x 2-1/2 inches) has moderate creasing and an irregular tear along the bottom. There is evidence of album removal on the reverse, along with ink notations. Opening Bid $500.