Holding Baseball History in One’s Hands: A Babe Ruth Bat

It’s not often that one finds themselves holding a bat that was once used by the legendary Sultan of Swat himself, Babe Ruth. A 1922 game-used Babe Ruth bat, in particular, made its way to the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago.

For a few hours each day, fans could stop by the Memory Lane Inc. booth (#1108) and have the opportunity to hold or pose with the game-used Ruth bat. Given that the bat is just north of 100 years old, people were required to wear gloves upon holding it. Of course, they could touch the bat anywhere except for where Ruth’s signature is.

I ventured over to the convention center for a few hours on Thursday afternoon for the first of several days. In addition to the large number of dealers and authenticators on hand, many sports legends and up-and-comers are present this weekend for photos and autograph opportunities. Baseball, basketball, football, you name it. Even actors from baseball movies–including Rookie of the Year and The Sandlot–were on hand. While fans could take photos with many Hall of Famers, there were some who are only signing autographs. Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is one of them. It’s very different from the comic and entertainment conventions in that most of the athletes are attending for just one day even if they’re local to Chicago. They strictly use the floor–there are no panels taking place to my knowledge. I’ll write about all of my baseball encounters after the weekend.

It might not be how The Great Bambino posed when he stepped up to the plate. However, this is the pose you have for now.

Next year’s convention will be in Cleveland so I’m definitely making the most of this weekend. The convention will make another return to Chicago in 2025.