Ruth's 1918 Red Sox Contract Sells For One Million Dollars - East Idaho News
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Ruth’s 1918 Red Sox Contract Sells For One Million Dollars

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Getty S 4912 MLB%20Baseball%203?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1405250259427Mike McGinnis/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — At an auction in Baltimore, Md., Babe Ruth’s 1918 contract with the Boston Red Sox was sold for $1.02 million on Saturday night. When it was originally sold almost 100 years ago, the deal was worth just $5,000.

The contract was signed by American League president Ban Johnson, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, and Ruth himself. The price tag eclipsed the record for a bidding price of a sports contract, surpassing the 1919 document that sent Ruth to the New York Yankees, which sold for $996,000 back in 2005.

The item was part of a collection of Ruth memorabilia, designed to honor the 100th anniversary of his professional debut. Other items included a bat from early in his career and a signed ball, both of which fetched more than $95,000. One of the more intriguing items, the very first home run ball Ruth ever hit at Yankee Stadium, did not sell. The ball was collected by a construction worker when Ruth was called over to test out the dimensions of the new ballpark in February of 1923.

Other items that were up for auction on Saturday included ticket stubs from the clinching game of each of New York’s 27 championship years ($58,000) and a Super Bowl VIII ring from the 1972 Miami Dolphins perfect season ($19,000).


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