People checking out Costco Wholesale Corp’s Web site for essentials such as toilet paper and light bulbs might be surprised at one of its newly listed items: a Babe Ruth autographed baseball going for the low, low price of just US$63,999.99.
And that is not even the most expensive baseball collectible on the Web site.
A Ty Cobb autographed bat is selling for US$159,999.99 with an inscription of “With Best Wishes Sincerely-3/14/49” that belies the Georgia Peach’s famously gruff demeanor.
Photo: AFP
The sports memorabilia market is booming this year.
The PWCC 500, an index of the top 500 trading cards, in May hit an all-time high and has continued its upward trajectory since then.
It has gained more than 216 percent since its inception in 2008, about as much as the S&P 500 Index’s total return over the same period.
It is at least the second ball signed by Ruth — who played Major League Baseball from 1914 through 1935 — that Costco has put up for sale this year.
A ball with a lower rating from PSA — a third-party firm that provides grades for sports trading cards and collectibles — in May was listed for US$30,000.
The current offering is “one of the nicest signed Babe Ruth home run special balls ever made available to the public and is overall one of the nicest signed Babe Ruth balls known to be in existence,” according to the Web site, which warns that there are no returns or refunds allowed.
The sales are to end on Jan. 15.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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