A unique “NEW YORK” baseball uniform worn by Babe Ruth to promote the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair has sold at auction for $227,854. SCP Auctions sold the uniform at its 2017 Winter Premier auction, which closed Sunday. The entire auction of 1,021 lots of sports memorabilia, game-worn items and autographs brought in $3.4 million.
SCP Auctions’ 2017 Winter Premier online auction closed early Sunday morning and the top selling lot was a 1938 “NEW YORK” uniform worn by the late, great Babe Ruth to promote the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair that sold for $227,854. 
The entire auction of 1,021 lots of coveted sports memorabilia, game-worn items and sought-after autographs brought in $3.4 million. Other top selling lots included Tony Gwynn’s 3,000th Hit baseball, $142,762; a rare 1969 Super Bowl III yellow variation full, unused ticket, which scored a winning bid of $59,098 to set a new industry record for a single sports ticket sold at auction; and a pair of World Series Championship rings (2012 and ’14) that were awarded to San Francisco Giants legend Orlando Cepeda, which both sold for $59,098 apiece. The much-publicized sale of Jim Bouton’s Ball Four manuscript archive from his 1970 best seller did not meet its reserve price.
“It’s no surprise that once again, Babe Ruth carried the day in an auction featuring a broad array of historic sports memorabilia,” said Dan Imler, vice president of SCP Auctions. “The ‘Sultan of Swat’ still resonates with collectors more than any other name in sports history, more than 70 years after his passing.”
The one-of-a-kind, custom-made “NEW YORK” flannel uniform was manufactured by A.G. Spalding & Bros. and Ruth wore it in 1938 at several stops to help promote the upcoming 1939-40 New York World’s Fair. Gwynn’s 3,000th hit baseball marked the late Hall of Famer’s milestone hit which occurred on August 6, 1999, versus the Montreal Expos. 
The 1969 Super Bowl III yellow variation ticket surprised many industry insiders as it set a new auction benchmark for the sale of a single sports ticket. The heavily coveted modern 14K white gold World Series championship rings represent the Giants’ second and third baseball titles in the City by the Bay and were issued to Cepeda, a Hall of Famer and one of the franchise’s greatest players.
Other highlights from the auction included: 1909-11 T206 White Border Near Complete Set of 520 Baseball Cards, $51,356; Vince Lombardi’s 1956 New York Giants World Champions 10K Gold Ring, $50,131; early 1980’s Magic Johnson L.A. Lakers Game Worn Road Jersey (MEARS A10), $47,188; Orlando Cepeda’s 2010 San Francisco Giants World Series Champs 14K Gold Ring: $44,401; and Tony Gwynn’s 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 10K Gold Ring: $37,663.
The buyers of the items wish to remain anonymous at this time. All prices include a buyer’s premium. Full auction results are available at SCP Auctions. -Terry Melia
The first major catalog auction of 2017 opened Wednesday morning as SCP Auctions opened the curtain on its Winter Premier event. Over 1,000 lots are on the block including never-before-offered items from Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi, George Blanda and other well-known names. The auction is set to run through January 21.
SCP Auctions’ 2017 Winter Premier online auction begins January 4 and runs through Saturday, January 21, at www.scpauctions.com. Coveted items from the family of Babe Ruth, along with cherished pieces from the Vince Lombardi and George Blanda families lead the way in this New Year’s auction that includes 1,021 outstanding lots. Other top lots include 1992 “Dream Team” memorabilia from Christian Laettner; James J. Braddock’s 1935 heavyweight championship belt; a pair of Rocky Marciano’s bout-worn boxing gloves from his 1953 heavyweight title defense versus Jersey Joe Walcott; a Joe DiMaggio game-used bat from the 1947 World Series; and a 1967 Roger Maris St. Louis Cardinals game-worn jersey from the Redbirds’ World Series championship season that’s been graded A9 by MEARS.
SCP Auctions has announced that it has secured four rare, never-before-offered at auction items directly from the family of Babe Ruth that will be up for bid in the company’s upcoming 2017 Winter Premier, which starts Wednesday, Jan. 4, and ends on Saturday, Jan. 21.
