Lot # 2118: 1928 Lou Gehrig Signed "Bustin' Babes and Larrupin' Lou's" Photograph - JSA

Original photo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, issued as a souvenir during their famous 1928 "Bustin' Babes and Larrupin' Lou's" barnstorming tour, inscribed by Lou Gehrig in black fountain pen. This photo was originally sold as lot 926 in REA’s Spring 2013 auction. The photo captures the two stars posing together in their respective tour uniforms and features the facsimile signatures of both Ruth and Gehrig, as issued. Gehrig's actual inscription appears above his facsimile example and reads "To my pal and brother Elk/a real buddy/Most Sincerely/Lou Gehrig." Ideally, we know exactly when this photo was signed, because below that inscription, Gehrig has added "To Jeff Gooding - 12/28/28." Both inscriptions and Gehrig's signature are light, but remain clearly legible. This photo dates from the second of the two famous postseason barnstorming tours made by Ruth and Gehrig during the years 1927 and 1928. The Bustin' Babes and Larrupin' Lou's barnstorming tour was the brainchild of Christy Walsh, who was Ruth and Gehrig's longtime agent. In 1927, Walsh, to capitalize on the excitement generated by the duo's season-long home-run duel, arranged to have the pair tour the country right after the World Series. The tour, heralded as "Ruth vs. Gehrig - The Battle For The Home Run Title Continues," began in New York and made its way across the country, ending in California. To ensure its success, Walsh wisely scheduled nearly all of the games in cities without Major League clubs, thus providing those fans with a rare opportunity to see the two stars in person. Walsh also arranged it so that Ruth and Gehrig were the only two players traveling to each town. Their respective teams at each venue were made up of local players. The tour was such a huge success (most games ended prematurely due to fans rushing onto the field to get closer to their idols) that it was repeated in 1928 with equal fanfare. In addition to the gate revenues, one of the other main sources of income during the tour came from the sale of these special tour photos, which were priced at $1 (quite a sum at the time). The photo (7-1/2 x 9-1/4 inches, visible dimensions) features three horizontal tears (two extending from the left border and the other extending from the right) and light creasing. While the photo exhibited other condition issues (most notably a pair of corner chips and a small tear along the bottom border) when REA last offered it, we are unable to confirm if those flaws remain or have been addressed by professional restoration due to the photo now being framed. Matted and framed to total dimensions of 14 x 17 inches. Despite the popularity of the tour, signed examples of these special tour photos (by either Ruth or Gehrig or both) are quite rare and, with good reason, have always been highly prized by collectors. This is an especially desirable example given Gehrig's lengthy inscription. Full LOA from James Spence/JSA. The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.