The term “Holy Grail” is often tossed about within the memorabilia business. While many items that come to the market are rare and valuable, only a select few relics possess the mystic to live up to such a label. We are proud to present one of the true “Holy Grails” of sports: a Babe Ruth game used Zinn Beck baseball bat. Any Babe Ruth game used is highly coveted, however this particular piece of lumber holds tremendous historical significance to the game of baseball itself.
With usage dating between the late 1920's to early 30's, we consider this time period to be the most productive of Ruth's historic career. Hitting 47, 60, 65, 46, 49 & 46 home runs between the years of 1926-1931.
Evidence pointing to Ruth’s use of this legendary lumber has been extensively researched and brought forth in the Letter of Opinion from leading game used bat authority Troy Kinunen of MEARS. The bat’s length of 34” falls within the guidelines of Ruth’s preference of the time period according to Mears. The bat’s weight of 32 ounces is right on for a circa 1920s-30s bat. Although legend states Ruth used the 40+ ounce bats, records illustrate he was much more conservative during this time span.
This bat is manufactured from high-grade evenly proportioned professional grade ash wood. The bat exhibits significant use that the professionals at MEARS have noted to be "heavy". With surface stitch marks, cleat marks, no dead wood or alterations, hitting all the key markers for a Ruth gamer. Impressing the graders at MEARS who have rendered a final grade of A-6 for use.
With a Babe Ruth bat standing as one of the three pieces of sports memorabilia to date to cross the million-dollar threshold at auction, it is clear that this market is on the rise. While the pleasure of owning a Ruth gamer is surely its own reward, one can't overlook the investment potential here. Few collectibles in any genre have seen the sharp and steady upward value surge of Ruth game used material, and there's no sign that this will change any time soon. This sculpted wood represents one of the most desirable artifacts in the sports collecting hobby. The ownership of a Babe Ruth game used bat sets the elite collector apart from the masses, and makes him curator of a piece of true Americana.