Hi Doug,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth Jr.) is widely considered baseball’s first true superstar — a larger-than-life figure whose accomplishments and personality transcended sports. That legacy has made anything associated with him highly collectible. His 714 career home runs, charismatic persona, and role in popularizing baseball in the U.S. mean fans and collectors value his items both emotionally and financially. In 2024, the World Series jersey he wore in game 3 of the 1932 World Series - in which he "called his shot" before hitting a home run - sold for $24.12 million at Heritage Auctions; it remains not only the world record for any other piece of Babe Ruth memorabilia but also the world record for ANY OTHER piece of sporting memorabilia.

A Detroit history website identifies this as a circa 1928 photo showing the Babe and Tigers’ slugger Harry Heilmann were invited by Detroit contractor Alfred Tegne to party in the basement of his home on Hubbell Street with a bunch of other friends where illegal drinks and good cheer flowed. The photo - the same as yours - accompanying this article shows Ruth seated in the center front row while Heilmann is a couple of rows back and to the right with his hand partially covering his face as though he was trying to hide so he would not be recognized. (https://www.vintagedetroit.com/37th-annual-babe-ruth-birthday-bash-at-nemos-february-3rd/).

Ruth and the Yankees were in Detroit frequently during the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition but this website notes he rarely had difficulty finding drinks, friends, and even strangers to party with, whether it was at an illegal speakeasy or someone’s home.

Leland's sports auctioneers offered one copy of this photo for auction in 2011; in their auction catalog, they identify Ruth surrounded by men and women in a basement speakeasy in Detroit, during the prohibition era. Leland's photo was in Good/Very Good condition with one stain (https://lelands.com/bids/babe-ruth-at-speakeasy-photo is the link so you can see). It sold at auction for almost $270.

Ruth was so famous that he was the most photographed athlete of his era—games, barnstorming tours, endorsements, posed studio shots and spontaneous photos such as yours. Unfortunately, this means that photos of Ruth aren't rare and, since there are usually enough photos of him to meet the demand, values remain modest.

If sold in a well publicized sports memorabilia auction with a global (international) audience, I would not expect this photo to bring much more than it did when Leland's sold their copy in 2011: probably in the $200-400 range if the condition is very good.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A vintage Babe Ruth photo
unidentified photo, circa 1928
possibly a silver gelatin print
11 by 14
CONDITION: this photo appears to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: unknown
$ 200-400*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia