one George Herman "Babe" Ruth and his wife, Claire. There's no denying that Ruth loved life ... but this image proves that he loved his wife, too. In time, Ruth felt compelled to bequeath it to a man he often called "a real pal"—restaurant owner Jimmy Donohue. In the fall of 1938, Ruth took this photo in hand and used white ink to pen this heartfelt sentiment: "To Our pal / Jimmie Donohue / From Claire & Babe / Nov 28 / 1938." His scripting projects "10" in strength. Minimum bid $2,500.
Babe Ruth Sterling Silver Cigarette Case - A Gift to a Friend
The year was 1925 and Babe Ruth saw fit to gift Jimmy Donohue restaurateur with an incredible sterling silver cigarette case. One can only imagine the excitement as Donohue unwrapped this treasure for the first time and saw the monogrammed "D" at the upper left corner of the cover, then read the engraved inscription: "To Jimmy Donahue / from / Babe Ruth / Dec. 25, 1925." (Despite Ruth's fondness for the man—Donohue was one of Ruth's closest friends for decades—the New York Yankee icon often misspelled Donohue's last name, substituting an "a" for an "o" as seen here.) This hinged cigarette case is a remarkably well-kept survivor. A velvet drawstring bag accompanies it with a label from M.J. Lyons Jeweler of Passaic, New Jersey. Minimum bid $1,000.
1925 Babe Ruth Personalized Photo from Christmas Day
Babe Ruth looks happy in his tuxedo in this exquisite sepia portrait. With that unmistakable handwriting, Ruth took advantage of a large portion of the image's lower right corner to sign, "To My Old Pal / the best sport in the world / Jimmy Donahue / From / "Babe" Ruth / Dec 25 - 1925." The "Sultan of Swat" employed black fountain pen to script the sentiment. This likeness bears the studio lettering, "Hartsook Photo" at the lower left corner. Minimum bid $500.
Babe Ruth 1942 Signed Letter from the Set of "Pride of the Yankees"
This one-page, signed, typewritten letter was sent by Ruth to Jimmy Donohue during filming of The Pride of the Yankees, the movie based on the life of Lou Gehrig. Ruth has signed the correspondence "Babe Ruth" ("9") in black fountain pen. Before leaving for the West Coast, the Babe had spent several days in a hospital losing 40 pounds on a diet so that he would appear lighter and more trim for his film role. While at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field, he was forced to undergo strenuous workouts, hit home runs, and run the bases for the cameras. Shortly after composing this letter, Ruth collapsed at his hotel and was diagnosed with pneumonia. He returned to work two weeks later. The letter is typed on "Samuel Goldwyn Inc., Ltd." stationery. Minimum bid $500.
Babe Ruth Signed 1934 Japan Tour Team Photo Premium
Highly publicized and equally successful (on several planes) was the Major League Tour of Japan that was performed immediately following the 1934 season.
