It’s always interesting when a collectible item featuring the Sultan of Swat becomes available, but this one is a little extra special.
Heritage Auctions is currently offering a 1916 Babe Ruth card graded PSA Fair 1.5. At the time of this writing, the highest bid is $180,000 ($219,600 with the buyer’s premium) with proxy bidding set to end on Friday at 10:00 pm CT.
This particular card is so enticing because it’s one of just five PSA-graded examples in existence. When you could count every certified version of this card on one hand, you know there’s something special available.
Editor’s Note: Looking to Sell Sports Cards? Here’s How to Do It Quickly & Easily
Current Auction Status: Big Money Already on the Table
According to Heritage’s listing, the 1916 Babe Ruth card has attracted serious attention. With 29 registered bidders and phone bidders combined, plus 164 people actively tracking the lot, this bad boy isn’t flying under anyone’s radar. It’s also worth noting that the page has racked up over 2,200 page views.
The auction wraps up on January 30th at 10:00 PM CT, giving prospective buyers just a few more hours to decide if they want to join in on the fun. Heritage has set its estimate at $250,000-plus, telling you exactly what they’re hoping will happen before the dust settles.
What Makes the 1916 Babe Ruth Card So Incredibly Rare
The image on this card is one of the most iconic from the pre-war era, as noted by Heritage. This same photo was used across multiple Ruth rookie variations, but this is even more interesting because the Herpolsheimer Co. back is among the rarest of all Ruth rookie backs.
Herpolsheimer Co. operated a Boy’s Fashion Shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and these cards were promotional items distributed through their store. A century later, only five examples have been certified by PSA at any grade level. Heritage notes in their listing that the card features “notably fine centering,” which is something even some seven-figure Ruth rookies didn’t have. For a card over 100 years old, that kind of presentation matters a lot to serious collectors.
The scarcity factor can’t be overstated, either. While Ruth rookies in general fetch high prices, having just five PSA examples puts this Herpolsheimer version in rare air.
Previous Sales History Shows Explosive Growth
Heritage made headlines in February 2025 when they sold the finest known example of this exact card in PSA NM 7 condition for just under $1.4 million. That sale provides crucial context for understanding why even a Fair 1.5 example still carries such a hefty price tag. When the population is this small, every graded card is significant.
The massive gap between grades doesn’t diminish the importance of lower-grade examples, either. For most collectors, a Fair 1.5 is the only realistic opportunity to own this particular Ruth rookie variant. The million-dollar cards exist in a completely different stratosphere.
The Babe’s Home Run Legacy and Collecting Appeal
Ruth’s impact on baseball is still being felt nearly a century after he played his final big-league game. The slugger’s 714 career home runs stood as the gold standard for decades, and his single-season record of 60 homers in 1927 captivated the nation. Even after all these years, the number ’60’ still has a special aura about it when we’re talking about taters.
For collectors, the Bambino is the ultimate prize. He’s one of the most important figures in baseball history, and the slugger helped save the sport after the Black Sox scandal. When you’re talking about The Babe, you’re talking about more than cardboard. It’s about owning a tangible piece of the legend who helped build baseball into what it is today.
With this 1916 Babe Ruth card sitting at $180,000, we’re about to find out just how high collectors are willing to go for a chance to own one of only five PSA-graded examples.
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