NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 13: A bat owned by baseball legend Babe Ruth (right) and one owned by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson are displayed at auction house Christie's for the upcoming sale 'The Golden Age of Baseball' on October 13, 2016 in New York City. Over 400 items are up for sale, including a bat once swung by Micky Mantle and baseballs signed by Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. Some pieces are expected to draw up to $700,000 at the auction on October 19 and 20. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Babe Ruth's Bat from 1920-21 Yankees Seasons Sells for Record $1.85M at Auction

Timothy RappApr 5, 2023

One of Babe Ruth's bats from either the 1920 or 1921 season sold in a private sale from Hunt Auctions for $1.85 million, according to ESPN's Dan Hajducky.

That set a new record for a bat, besting a previous Ruth bat that went for $1.68 million. This new sale, however, reportedly is the "only known example to offer photographic corroboration," per Hunt Auctions, as it includes a picture from 1921 of Ruth swinging the bat.

PSA/DNA photo expert Henry Yee matched the bat with the photo.

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"I am very familiar with the 'Polo Grounds' Babe Ruth bat, bringing it into the hobby 30 years ago," PSA Pro Bat Services' John Taube said in a statement. "The rich brown patina and the Ruth characteristics that were present, then and now, establish the bat as one of the premier Babe Ruth game-used bats in any collection, public or private."

Ruth famously hit 59 homers in the 1921 season, adding 177 runss, 168 RBI and an astonishing 1.359 OPS. It was one of the greatest seasons, if not the greatest season, in MLB history. And it made for one expensive bat sale.