Babe Ruth’s bat used to hit his 500th home run at League Park in 1929 sold for $1.08 million through SCP Auctions.
The bat used by legendary baseball player Babe Ruth was a gift he bequeathed to the former Mayor of Suffern, New York, Jim Rice, back in the mid-1940s. Ruth befriended the former politician, says Rice’s son, Terry.
Terry and his sisters Pam and Patricia stored the bat in the family home for years and wouldn’t even tell friends about it, fearing it could get stolen. Terry said the bat was often stored in a closet.
Babe Ruth’s Bat
“It actually became more of a burden,” Terry said. “We were concerned about it; we had to insure it. We figured maybe somebody else could appreciate it.”
Terry, who practices law in New Jersey, said the family insured the bat for more than $1 million.
Babe Ruth’s Bat
Ruth is widely considered one of the best baseball players of all time, breaking records both as a hitter and a pitcher. It’s no wonder then that the baseball player’s belongings are often snapped up for whopping figures such this.
But, it’s not the first time that one of Ruth’s bats broke the million-dollar mark. A bat used by Ruth in 1923 to hit the first home run out of the original Yankee Stadium sold for a record $1.3 million in 2004.
Babe Ruth’s Bat
