MLB Icon Babe Ruth's Rare 1916 Rookie Card with Red Sox to Be Sold at Auction

There is some debate over which famous trading card of Babe Ruth should be considered his rookie card.

The first option is a 1914 Baltimore News card, which was issued when Ruth was a part of the Baltimore Orioles' minor league system. The second, a 1916 Sporting News card, was the first card ever issued by Major League Baseball, and therefore technically his rookie card, even though it came second to the Baltimore News' offering.

That first card recently sold for $7.2 million. The second is heading to auction on Nov. 22 and is expected to sell for far less.

According to Michael Salfino of The Athletic, "The 1916 Ruth is expected to fetch a small fraction of The Baltimore News 'first' card despite being more highly graded (PSA 3.5, or Very Good-Plus). Both will have been sold by REA. The starting bid on the 1916 'true rookie' is $150,000 and, given the rarity of the Morehouse backing, the estimated sale price, according to [REA president Brian Dwyer], is $500,000.

So, if you have half-a-million dollars burning a hole in your pocket and would like one of the two cards that lays claim to being a Ruth rookie card, you know what to do.