Babe Ruth
Baseball · New York Yankees · Right field
Ruth's most-hunted cards are his pre-war Sporting News rookie (1916 M101-5 #151) and his four 1933 Goudey cards (#53, #144, #149, #181), with the Baltimore News 1914 card as the rarest of all. Sales are thin and lumpy: most comps are high-grade auction results from 2024 to 2026, and there are almost no recent PSA 10 sales, so the market is best read from grade-by-grade auction prices. The 1914 Baltimore News card's drop from $7.2M (2023) to $4.02M (2025) shows the top end can soften even for the rarest Ruth.
Prices are recent sales we found on Oct 8, 2026 and refresh weekly while people are looking. Check the sold prices before you buy.
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- Flagship rookie
1916 M101-5 Sporting News #151 Babe Ruth Rookie (Blank Back)
Widely treated as Ruth's rookie card and a cornerstone of pre-war collecting, with very few high-grade copies.
PSA NM 7 sold $1,415,200 at Goldin (Mar 2026); SGC EX 5 $552,000 (Dec 2024); PSA 2.5 $384,000 (Oct 2024). No PSA 10 sale found. Thin market; an unsourced $2,100 eBay listing was ignored.
$1,415,200
top recent sale
- Autograph
1932 U.S. Caramel R328 #32 Babe Ruth Signed
A rare autographed Ruth card, which sets it apart from the more common printed Ruth cards.
PSA 9 signed copy sold $244,736 (Memory Lane, 2022). Older comp; no newer sale found.
$244,736
top recent sale
- Key insert / SSP
1933 Goudey #149 Babe Ruth (red background)
The red-background variation is one of the hardest Ruth Goudey cards to find in high grade, and no copy has been graded Mint or higher.
PSA 8.5 sold $1,620,000 (Fanatics Collect, Nov 2024). Recent lower-grade sales: SGC 4 $25,100 (Aug 2026), SGC 7.5 $109,800 (Apr 2026). No PSA 10 exists.
$1,620,000
top recent sale
- Key insert / SSP
1933 Goudey #53 Babe Ruth (yellow background)
The yellow-background Ruth card is the scarcest of the four Goudey Ruths and carries the highest price tag in the set.
PSA 9 sold $4,212,000 (Memory Lane, 2021), the only copy graded PSA 9. No recent sold comps found; this is an older top sale.
$4,212,000
top recent sale
- Key insert / SSP
1933 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth (green background)
A key Goudey Ruth card that has more high-grade copies than the others, and it draws strong demand from set builders.
PSA 8 sold $268,736 (Memory Lane, about 2022, older). Recent low-grade sales: PSA 1.5 $10,370 (Apr 2026); SGC 1.5 $9,673 (Aug 2026).
$268,736
top recent sale
- Pre-rookie / overseas
1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth (pre-MLB card)
Ruth's earliest known card, from his minor-league Baltimore Orioles days, with only about ten known copies.
SGC 3 sold $7.2M (Dec 2023); the same card resold at $4.02M (Heritage, late 2025). No PSA 10 or raw comps; few copies exist.
$7,200,000
top recent sale
- Other
1933 Goudey #144 Babe Ruth (full-length batting pose)
The most familiar of Ruth's four Goudey cards and the one most collectors recognize from the 1933 set.
PSA 8 sold $463,600 (May 2026, Card Ladder). PSA 8.5 reported over $1M in an earlier sale (undated). Lower grades: PSA 2.5 $19,642 (Jul 2026); SGC VG 3 $22,000 (Jun 2026). No PSA 10 sale found.
$463,600
top recent sale
- Other
1921 Exhibits Babe Ruth (W461) Geo. H. Ruth
A prewar, early standalone Ruth card from the first Exhibit set, and it has built a loyal following among vintage collectors.
PSA 3.5 sold $14,400 (PWCC, about 2024, older). Lower-grade copies are asked at higher prices than the sold comps. PSA 10 not found.
$14,400
top recent sale