Goodwin Auctions

This Babe Ruth Baseball Card Found in a Piano Could Sell for Over $100,000 at Auction

The card was found in 1992, but wasn't appraised until now. This 1916 M101-4 Babe Ruth Rookie Card was found stashed in a player piano and could now fetch upwards of $100,000 at auction. Photo courtesy of Goodwin Auctions. A rare Babe Ruth rookie baseball card found in an old piano is up for auction—and online bidding is already nearing $100,000 in the “Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons” sale at Goodwin Auctions. Ellen Kelly discovered the collectible in a stash of baseball cards wedged inside the pedal of a player piano that once belonged to her aunt. Kelly had admired the instrument as a child, but was never allowed to play it—until she finally bought it for $25 at her family’s estate sale in 1992. Along with the Ruth card were about 112 other vintage baseball cards, presumably hidden and later forgotten by Kelly’s father or uncle. Ruth’s card, which has a blank back, dates to his time as a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox, and comes from the historic M101-4 set, which featured photographs, rather than illustrated portraits of the players, as was done in earlier cards. “I don’t guess I realized what they were worth when I found them,” Kelly told Sports Collectors Daily, noting that family friends had long urged her to have the cards appraised. “Best $25 I ever spent.” The Ruth card has been given a 2.5 rating (out of a possible 10) from Beckett, a company that grades cards based on their condition and authenticity, in part because it has a print line running across Ruth’s chest. But according to the lot listing, the card “presents much nicer than the BVG 2.5 grade it received at first glance.” The sale runs through April 25. Dale Ball bought this 1921 Babe Ruth W575.1b card produced by Shotwell Manufacturing Co. for just $2, but he now claims it is authentic. Photo courtesy of Dale Ball. Last month, another Ruth rookie card—this one with a near-mint 7 rating from Professional Sports Authenticator—sold for $600,000 at Robert Edward Auctions. Separately, collector Dale Ball announced that he had authenticated a 1921 Ruth W575.1b card produced by Shotwell…