Babe Ruth made his major league debut today (July 11) in 1914.
Then known as a pitcher, Ruth threw seven innings as the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 4-3.
In the coming years Ruth emerged as one of the greatest batters to ever play the game.
In 1999 he was named among the top 10 most influential athletes of the 20th century by Time Magazine. Today his collectibles continue to attract huge interest among sports collectors, as well as those alternative investors with an eye on a profit.
 Ruth hit 714 home runs in his career |
We have witnessed some huge auction results in recent years, with game used equipment particularly popular.
In October 2009, Ruth's first Hillerich & Bradsby bat sold for $537,750 at Heritage Auction Galleries. The bat was the first one of the manufacturer's to be used by Ruth, in 1918.
But it is not the most expensive item of Ruth memorabilia, or even the most valuable baseball bat ever sold.
That distinction goes to the "Louisville Slugger" bat, which sold at Sotheby's for $1.26m in December 2004. Ruth used the bat to hit the first home run at Yankee Stadium, on April 18, 1923.
A game worn New York Yankees cap from the 1920s made $328,000 at a Hunt Auctions sale in 2008.
Featuring his name embroidered on the inside, it is believed to be one of only three existing caps worn by Ruth while playing.
To put this figure into perspective, no game worn baseball cap had ever before surpassed the $100,000 mark.
Hall of Fame signed postcards featuring the star can also generate significant interest. In March 2010 one such signed postcard realised $44,062 at a Philip Weiss Auctions event.
- Click here to view our current stock of sporting memorabilia
- Learn how you can get pleasure and profit from rare sports collectibles
- Click here for all the latest Autographs and Memorabilia news
Join our readers in over 200 countries around the world - sign up for your free weekly Collectibles Newsletter today
