BABE RUTH & LOU GEHRIG

FORENSIC AUTHENTICATION

This bat has undergone two independent levels of authentication:

1) Starabilias Certificate of Authenticity — Issued by Starabilias (Penny Won, CEO/President), 7061 Grand National Drive, Suite 148, Orlando, Florida 32819. This certificate warrants and guarantees that the autographs are genuine signatures of the celebrated personalities named, backed by a money-back guarantee to the original purchaser should the autographs ever be proven not to be authentic.

2) Ink & Document Analysis Report — A comprehensive forensic examination was conducted on the Lou Gehrig signature. This is not a standard COA — it is a scientific forensic analysis of the ink, pen type, substrate, and dating, the kind of examination you will not find accompanying competing offerings. Key findings include:

Examined Signature: Lou Gehrig

Item Medium: Hillerich & Bradsby Line Drive No. 4 Baseball Bat, 32 inch

Additional Signatures: Babe Ruth

Substrate: Hillerich & Bradsby baseball bat — a sporting goods manufacturer best known as the maker of the Louisville Slugger brand, making baseball bats since the 1800s. Material: Wood. Result: Affirmative

Approximate Dating: Vintage, Pre-1940s. Based on approximate date of manufacture, this particular item would have been available to sign. Result: Affirmative

Ink Type: Black Steel-Tipped Fountain Pen. The signature was written with a steel-tipped fountain pen, first patented in 1827 and readily available in the 1800s. A fountain pen is a nib pen that uses a small amount of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper or other media via a combination of gravity and capillary action. Based on approximate date of manufacture, this particular pen and ink would have been available for signing. Result: Affirmative

Authenticator Number: 3 AND 6

Examination Date: 2/27/17

NOTE: Please read the EXTENSIVE forensic authentication report included with this listing. It is 4 pages per page covering such issues as edge-stroke geometry imaging, 3-D stroke depth simulation, and heat map imagery. You will NOT see these issues discussed in detail, with images and comparisons, in any other competitor’s COA.

THE SIGNERS: THE GREATEST TEAMMATES IN BASEBALL HISTORY

Gehrig and Ruth in the Yankees dugout

“Bustin’ Babes” and “Larrupin’ Lou’s” — the 1927 barnstorming tour

Two legends, one dugout

Ruth embraces Gehrig at Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, July 4, 1939

GEORGE HERMAN “BABE” RUTH JR.

The “Sultan of Swat.” The “Bambino.” The greatest baseball player who ever lived — or at the very least, the most famous. Ruth single-handedly transformed baseball from a low-scoring strategic game into the power-hitting spectacle it became, and in doing so became the most recognizable athlete on the planet. His 60 home runs in 1927 stood as the single-season record for 34 years. His 714 career home runs stood for 39 years. He was named to every All-Century and All-Time team ever assembled. In August 2024, Ruth’s “Called Shot” jersey sold at auction for over $24 million — shattering every record for sports memorabilia.

HENRY LOUIS “LOU” GEHRIG

“The Iron Horse.” “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth.” Gehrig’s consecutive games streak of 2,130 stood for 56 years until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995. On July 4, 1939, Gehrig stood at home plate in Yankee Stadium — the “House That Ruth Built” — and delivered the most famous farewell speech in American sports history. He was dying of ALS, the disease that now bears his name. Ruth, his teammate and sometimes rival, embraced him that day. Gehrig was dead less than two years later, at 37. His early death makes his autograph significantly rarer than Ruth’s — he had far fewer years to sign, and his final years were consumed by illness.

RUTH & GEHRIG: BY THE NUMBERS TOGETHER

From 1923 to 1934, Ruth and Gehrig played side by side in the Yankees lineup. During that span they combined for approximately 1,207 home runs and helped the Yankees win 4 World Series championships (1927, 1928, 1932). The 1927 Yankees — anchored by Ruth’s 60 home runs and Gehrig’s 47 — are considered the greatest team in baseball history. Together, they were the most feared back-to-back hitters the game has ever seen.

Both were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame’s inaugural 1936 charter class (Ruth) and by special election in 1939 (Gehrig, while still alive). Ruth’s #3 and Gehrig’s #4 were among the first numbers ever retired by any major league team.

RUTH & GEHRIG MEMORABILIA AT AUCTION

Note: The only previously known bat signed by both Ruth and Gehrig sold for $458,250. Dual-signed Ruth/Gehrig items of any kind are exceptionally rare due to Gehrig’s early death in 1941.

ITEM DETAILS

Bat: Hillerich & Bradsby “Line Drive No. 4” Louisville Slugger, 32 inches. Wood construction. Vintage, pre-1940s manufacture confirmed by forensic ink and document analysis.

Signatures: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, both in black steel-tipped fountain pen ink on the bat barrel. Both signatures clearly visible and legible.

Display: Museum-quality shadow box frame (approximately 42” × 16”) with navy blue velvet interior, featuring: the signed bat in a custom cradle; four period photographs of Ruth and Gehrig; cursive “Ruth” and “Gehrig” name plates; New York Yankees logo and NY interlocking emblem; and an engraved brass identification plaque listing both players with birth/death dates and Hall of Fame induction years.

Authentication: Starabilias Certificate of Authenticity (Penny Won, CEO/President) with money-back guarantee. Ink & Document Analysis Report with forensic findings on substrate (affirmative), approximate dating (vintage, pre-1940s, affirmative), and ink type (black steel-tipped fountain pen, affirmative). Report includes edge-stroke geometry imaging, 3-D stroke depth simulation, and heat map imagery. Examination date: 2/27/17. Authenticator Numbers: 3 AND 6.

IMPORTANT SHIPPING & PICKUP PROTOCOL

Note: To prevent claims against recent claims of loss / theft / porch piracy, you MUST follow the below protocols:

1) After you submit the winning offer, and BEFORE you pay, we will reach out to you to update your address to reflect the nearest FedEx pickup location. We will search for this using Google, your zip code, and the nearest FedEx location.

2) Once your address is updated to reflect this FedEx location, we will then communicate together for you to purchase this item.

3) Your item will be SAFELY waiting for you for pickup at this FedEx location nearest to you. You will then be required to pick up your item, with a Government issued ID, to confirm your identity. Hi-res cameras at the location will also confirm your identity.

4) This is the only way we know to ensure against claims that the package never arrived, someone stole the package, the package did not get delivered, or someone somehow other than the buyer signed for it. If these anti-loss/theft measures are too burdensome for you, please do NOT bid on the item.

Must clear out inventory before April 15.

All serious, reasonable offers considered.

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