This past week, 1914 Babe Ruth Baltimore News pre-rookie card, which was valued by some at more than $6 million, was recently acquired in the most expensive purchase and sale in trading card history. The price is undisclosed but is said to beat out the previous record of 5.2 million set by a 1952 Mickey Mantle card and 2003 Lebron James Rookie card.
This unique card, which has been on display in the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore, Md., will remain there to be appreciated and kept safe. The card is one of the rarest in existence with less than 10 known to be in existence.
How You Can Own a Part of This Historic Card
In today’s booming market for sports memorabilia and collectables, new ways are being found and created to expand the value and price of these items.
The buyer, who chose to remain private, wants to share this item with collectors around the world and will give the opportunity for all to buy a share of this historic card for $3 apiece.
These shares will be made available via a unique IPO through Collectable, a stock-marketlike investing platform. Collectable, which was launched in September, acts as a stock market for sports memorabilia, allowing its users to buy and sell shares of sports-related items.
“Today’s announcement represents not only a record price for a sports card, but also a historic and seismic moment for the sports collectibles industry,” read a statement by Collectable CEO Ezra Levine.
What Is So Unique About This Card?
Unlike most other cards produced by large trading card companies, this card was produced by Baltimore News and is a preview of Minor Leaguers from the 1914 season. And with less than 10 known in existence, this card does not become available on the market very often.
Additionally, anything Babe Ruth-related holds an immense amount of value with some of the most common cards of his still selling in the thousands.
Ruth, who is known for his time in New York and Boston, is pictured in this card as a member of the minor league team, the Baltimore Orioles (no relation to the current MLB franchise). Ruth would only spend a season in his hometown of Baltimore, as owner Jack Dunn would ship him to the Boston Red Sox to help solve financial troubles.
This sale started an MLB career that is often looked at as one of the greatest of all time, one in which Ruth won seven World Series titles and hit 714 career home runs.
The value of this card has skyrocketed over the past few years because of the pinnacle point in Ruth’s career it represents, but also the sheer rarity of it. The last one to be sold was acquired for $450,300 in 2013.
With Ruth being long dead, and the card being so rare due to it coming as a promotion of minor leagues from the local newspaper, this card has the ability to continue to grow in value.
Will Another Card Sell for More?
Baseball cards have long been atop the leaderboards when it comes to value and highest sold. But with a recent surge in basketball memorabilia, it would not be shocking to see the next highest sold card come from a hardwood legend. A 2018 autographed Panini National Treasures Luka Doncic sold for $4.6 Million, and as previously stated, a Lebron James rookie card was the previous record-holder at $5.2 Million.
The Athletic compared the record of the highest selling card to QB contracts in the NFL. The most recent one will maintain its record until another one hits the open market. What card will be the next Patrick Mahomes of the sports memorabilia world?
For the average person, seeing a simple piece of paper sell for around $6 Million is astounding and shocking. Personally, I like to compare it to a piece of coveted art, everyone holds their own values and interests. For us sports collectors, a 1914 Pre-Rookie Babe Ruth would beat a Picasso any day of the week.
