Babe card could break record at auction

A 1914 Babe Ruth rookie card, said to be one of the rarest cards in the world, is going up for auction Friday and will run through Dec. 3.

It’s expected to sell for $10 million at the minimum — and could even break the world record that’s pegged at $12.5 million, according to Brian Dwyer, president of Robert Edward Auctions in Chester, N.J.

Dwyer said “a private reception for interested bidders” will be held in New York City on Nov. 29. It also will be on display at the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore on Wednesday, ahead of auction.

“The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth is the most important card ever made, as it represents the origin of Babe Ruth in the game of baseball and in the trading card hobby,” Dwyer said.

Pictured on the card is a 19-yearold Babe Ruth of his hometown Baltimore Orioles of the International League.

The 2⁵/₈ x 3⁵/₈ card features Ruth as a member of Baltimore’s minor league club and was part of a set of cards that featured player images on the front and a team schedule on the back.

By the end of the year, Ruth would be on the Red Sox — and the team would cease to exist by the following season.

“This is one of only 10 examples in existence and is the first publicly available example in more than a decade,” Dwyer said. “When this set was released by the Baltimore News in 1914, the newspaper released the cards in red and blue versions. This one, which is red, is graded VG (‘Very Good’) 3 by SGC. Only one example is graded higher (a PSA 4).”

Those interested in attending the viewing events can email the auction house at info@robertedwardauctions.com to request a spot, as space is limited.