Bidding on Babe Ruth Ball Stops Short

By Kathryn Wohlpart

Bidding on the first homerun ball Babe Ruth hit in Yankee Stadium fell short in an auction and will stay in a Boca Raton museum exhibit.

Pre-bidding reached $95,000 but no bids were placed once the auction moved to the floor, stopping the item from reaching its $99,000 reserve. Within 126-item collection, the homerun ball is ranked as the number one item.

“You never know in an auction. Really, I’m shocked that it didn’t meet the reserve,” said Joel Platt, the collection’s owner. “We still believe it’s a seven-figure value ball because it’s so unique and one-of-a-kind historically.”

The first home run Ruth officially hit was sold for $126,500 in 1998. The ball Platt had up for auction was hit at an unofficial practice before the stadium’s opening and was retrieved from the stands by a construction worker.

“It’s my honest opinion that somebody out there will be contacting us and wanting this ball because this is, to me, one of the historical balls, a real treasure,” Platt said.

For now, Platt’s ball will remain in the Sports Immortals Museum in Boca Raton among other Ruth items and a 1 million piece, revolving exhibit of sports memorabilia.