A baseball glove that Babe Ruth used in the 1927 season was sold at auction on Saturday for $1.53 million, which is the highest price ever paid for a baseball glove. It fetched much more than the previous record of $387,500 set by Lou Gehrig’s glove in 1999.
Babe Ruth’s glove was originally part of the collection of Jimmy Austin, who played for the Yankees and the St. Louis Browns for 18 years, from 1909 to 1929. Ruth gave the glove to Austin himself.
David Hunt, who helms the auction house that put the glove on sale, told that “this monumental Babe Ruth’s glove is truly one of the most historic pieces of its medium to have ever been offered at public auction.”
In an interview for the 1966 book “The Glory of Their Times” dating back to 1964, Austin talked about the valuable piece of baseball equipment. The 1927 season was an epic and the Yankees team led by Babe Ruth that year stands out as the best in MLB history. Fans fondly called them the “Murderers’ Row” following their offensive prowess. Babe Ruth hit 60 homers and Lou Gehrig made 47 home runs. The Yankees notched up a record of 110–44–1. They also had the pennant and the World Series.
Austin was with the Yankees for two seasons from 1909 to 1910 as the third baseman. He was the person shown in Charles M. Conlon‘s photo trying to stop the Tigers’ players from stealing a base.
According to Susan Kolokoff, Austin’s niece,
“My childhood memories with my Uncle Jim are extremely dear to me. The glove had rested in a box for the last 30 years until we learned of its history and heard the amazing audio recording.”
The sale was part of the 19th annual Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Live Auction.
Which piece of baseball memorabilia do you think can set a new record?
