Babe Ruth Barnstorming Tour Autographed souvenir ball
Date1927 October 14
DescriptionDiscolored white leather baseball with faded red stitching and black stamps, including "Wilson," "Boys Amateur," and "No. W163 / Genuine Leather." Ball was signed by Clete Boyer and Whitey Ford in red and blue ink respectively. Handwritten inscription on two panels of the ball reads, "Caught in ___ Lima / Walter W. Ebert / Friday, October 14 / 1927" and "Caught in the Public Square, Lima o., from the hand of the Sultan of Swat, the mighty Babe Ruth, on a barnstorming tour, with ___ Columbia, Lou Gehrig, after the decisive victory of the ___ over the Pirates."
Bio/Historical NoteBaseball thrown by Babe Ruth and caught by the donor's grandfather in the Public Square in Lima, Ohio during the post-1927 World Series barnstorming tour by the New York Yankees. Ruth and Lou Gehrig dropped baseballs from the roof of a local bank as giveaway promotions. Walter W. Ebert was a reverend in/around Lima, Ohio. Baseball was signed at a later date by Clete Boyer and Whitey Ford.
Object numberB-2020-0048
Artist, Creator, or Manufacturer
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
Subject
Boyer, Clete, 1937-2007
Subject
Ford, Whitey, 1928-2020
Subject
Ruth, Babe, 1895-1948
Classificationssports and athletic equipment
Dimensionsdiameter: 3 in.
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