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Babe Ruth-signed Photographs

Value (2017) | $40,000 Auction – $60,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, these were given to us from my father. This is my Great-Uncle Herb, Aunt Gert, and they had a restaurant in Greenwood Lake, New York.

APPRAISER:
Right.

GUEST:
And Babe Ruth was my uncle and aunt's friend. And over the years, they got this accumulation of pictures which hung in the back of the bar in the restaurant.

APPRAISER:
These all hung in the Hilltop Restaurant?

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Wow, how many years did Gertie and Herby own the restaurant?

GUEST:
Possibly from maybe the late '30s to the early '60s.

APPRAISER:
He had a huge grand circle of friends, just like your aunt and uncle, Gertie and Herby. And he sought out those friends as well as sick children. He was big-hearted, he was generous, he was a wonderful person, as you can see in these photos. The photo with Gertie and Herby, the photo with your father, and this one, which I love, which is Babe with... this is your father in knickers, right? The last year he wore knickers.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And your uncle.

GUEST:
If I can remember correctly, he took that picture to school with him and he created somewhat of a small riot. And he was told not to come back with that picture anymore.

APPRAISER:
When we look at photos, we look to see three different things. If you look at this photo, which I love, "To my pals Gertrude and Herbert from Babe Ruth." This is a very large photo. This is probably 14 by 11. And that's a big size. That's going to have a lot more value than, say, a two-by-three photo. And with someone like larger than life like Babe Ruth, you wouldn't expect anything else. The second thing we look at is authenticity and provenance because Babe Ruth signed a lot and there are lots of legitimate signatures, but unfortunately, there are also some signatures that are not authentic over the years. His wife signed for him at different times, his secretary, clubhouse boys. The next thing we look at is how unusual they are. I've seen... this is a very famous photo of Babe Ruth as a three-year-old. But I've never seen a Babe Ruth as a three-year-old photo inscribed, and what an inscription this is. "What a nice little boy at age three, but now wow, to my pals, Herby and Gertie, Babe Ruth." And then here's a photo at 24. And then the mystery photo, which you told me no one knows-- "to my little girlfriend Joan, from Babe Ruth"-- who that could possibly be. To preserve them, you keep them in Mylar containers, away from the light just as you told me. Value-wise, I think that they would sell for between $25,000 and $30,000 for the group.

GUEST:
(chuckling)

APPRAISER:
So what would Herby and Gertie say about this?

GUEST:
"Sell 'em!" (laughing)

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Leila Dunbar
Collectibles, Sports Memorabilia
Leila Dunbar Appraisals & Consulting, LLC
Washington, DC
Update (2017)
$40,000 Auction – $60,000 Auction
Appraised value (2002)
$25,000 Auction – $30,000 Auction
Featured In
Seattle, Hour 2 (#0705)
Vintage Seattle (#2123)
Event
Seattle, WA (June 15, 2002)
Category
Sports Memorabilia
Period
20th Century
Form
Autograph , Photograph
Material
Paper

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.

Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.

Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.

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