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Babe Ruth bat sells at auction for $156,000

The Babe Ruth Hillerich & Bradsby game-used signature-model bat from the 1918 to 1922 manufacturing period. Robert Edward Auctions

A baseball bat once wielded by Babe Ruth sold for $156,000 Sunday night at an auction.

“When it comes to baseball collectibles, there’s no bigger name than Babe Ruth,” said Brian Dwyer, president of the New Jersey-based Robert Edward Auctions, which sold the bat. “When we were given the opportunity to sell a bat that he used, we jumped at it.”

The 42.9-ounce, 36-inch bat is a Hillerich & Bradsby game-used bat from the 1918-1922 manufacturing period, according to the auction house, which focuses on baseball collectibles. That was special period in Ruth’s career.

“It dates back to a very early period in 1918, which is pretty unique when it comes to bats because it spans his time with both the Red Sox and the Yankees,” Dwyer said.

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Ruth began playing with the Red Sox in 1914 and was traded to the New York Yankees in the 1919-1920 offseason -- the beginning of what many called the Curse of the Bambino, an 84-year World Series drought for the Red Sox.

The auction for the bat, among other baseball collectibles, started on March 6. It ended at 6 p.m. Sunday; another round of bids came in just before midnight from a select group of bidders, Dwyer said.

The winner placed a $130,000 bid at 11:39 p.m., Dwyer said.

With the auction house’s 20 percent premium, that came out to $156,000, he said.

The bat’s condition is “exceptional” — a 9 out of 10 — and shows characteristics from Ruth’s playing, Dwyer said.

“It was definitely sought after,” Dwyer said. “It was one of the top-viewed items in the auction, so I guess, based on its condition and the years it was used, bidders went for it.”


Breanne Kovatch can be reached at breanne.kovatch@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @breannekovatch.

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