It was during a 1926 visit to Rochester, New York that one lucky autograph collector managed to secure the signature of baseball legend Babe Ruth on the offered sphere.

Ruth was known to be tremendously supportive of school baseball, holding the conviction that boys who undertook to excel at the sport represented the future of the game. In that spirit, the Babe and his publicist/personal manager/agent Christy Walsh arranged a personal activity in Rochester on June 4, 1926. Already in town with the Yankees for an exhibition on that day, Ruth detoured from the contest (against the local minor league squad) to conduct a clinic for young hitters. As recounted in several newspaper articles from the time (copies of which accompany this lot), pains were taken to make Ruth's special visit accessible to all: admission at the rate of just 50 cents was available at the gates for "all boys in short trousers." A highlight of the event -- sponsored by the Rochester Journal-American -- was the awarding by Ruth of autographed bats and balls to the town's most dedicated youthful sluggers.

This off-white, "Official League" sphere served as one of those fabulous prizes. The green-and-red-stitched ball displays a gorgeous, blue fountain pen "Babe Ruth" signature ("7-8") on a side panel. Additional writing spanning the sweet spot and extending toward the Babe's scripting -- "Presented by Rochester Journal-American June 4, 1926" -- is the product of an unknown hand, and was not penned by Ruth. An extremely desirable ball, the relic showcases its signature marvelously, and finds additional appeal in the fact that the motive for its signing -- to provide excitement for young ballplayers -- is so heartwarmingly "Ruthian." LOA from PSA DNA. This lot is subject to a reserve.