http://espn.go.com/sportsbusiness/news/2003/1020/1642358.html By Darren Rovell ESPN.com NEW YORK -- Some will call it an act of desecration, others will say it's simply the state of the business. A Babe Ruth game-worn New York Yankees home jersey from 1925 was cut on Monday by a card company that will insert swatches of the jersey into packs. The company, Donruss, purchased the jersey -- believed to be one of three Ruth pinstripe jerseys in existence -- at an auction last summer for $264,210. One ceremonial 1-by-1 inch cut of the jersey was made by Donruss president and COO Bill Dully, with Ruth's daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, assisting at the ESPN Zone in New York City. The jersey will immediately go back to the company's headquarters in Arlington, Texas, to be sliced and diced into 2,100 pieces. "When I first heard about it, I had reservations," said the 86-year-old Stevens, who noted that she was comforted by the fact that full jerseys are on display both at the Hall of Fame and the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum in Baltimore, Md. "But, now I realize that it's going to mean so much to people that get these cards, that get the jersey, it's going to make it real special." The company plans to put pieces of the jersey on cards that will be inserted into baseball card sets through 2006. The jersey has no number on the back, as the flannel predated numbering by four years, and has "G.H. Ruth" sewn inside the collar. Greg Schwalenberg, curator of the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum, which currently is displaying a 1930 Ruth jersey on loan, wasn't excited about Donruss' intentions. Schwalenberg said he knows that the act is a demonstration of the reality of the high-priced sports memorabilia market. "Because items like this sell for so much money, it's getting hard for us to get people to donate stuff now," Schwalenberg said. "Who wouldn't want to try to turn it around and make a lot more money off it? But since it's hard to educate the public with a piece of jersey, we certainly wouldn't endorse something like this." Jay O'Neill, a baseball memorabilia collector from West Des Moines, Iowa, stated concerns about how far the industry is willing to go to create collectibles. "I don't mind including swatches from current players," he said. "There are hundreds, if not thousands of game-used articles available for each player. But only three Ruth uniforms! All in the name of the almighty dollar! What's next? Cut up a Revolutionary War uniform of George Washington for Donruss' 2004 Great Presidents series? Maybe pieces of an original Declaration of Independence?" Dully, noting that the creative sales ploy could draw detractors, remains undeterred. "There's always going to be controversy," Dully said. "But something like this is just the reality of the free market and the reality of capitalism." The first opportunity to get a Ruth jersey card will be in Donruss packs in November. Dully said that company officials had faith that Donruss could make a return on its investment from the Ruth jersey based on previous success of putting the cut-up jerseys of legends in their packs. Donruss previously has inserted pieces of a road Ruth flannel in its packs, and also has used diced-up jerseys of football legends such as Doak Walker, Red Grange and Jim Brown. "The bottom line is that items like this were once only available to a couple of people and now it's available to everyone in the United States," Dully said. "People from Tampa to Indianapolis to Sacramento can now hold a piece of Ruth's pinstripe jersey." Prices for packs with the Ruth jersey inserted will range from $2.99 to $150.
Blame it on the card makers who have ruined the hobby that I used to love. It's pathetic what these companies to do "create" a collectible card.
Amen to that. People used to call it a kid's thing and make fun of me for collecting. Now it's an adult thing and it's turned into a lottery for sports freaks. I haven't had the urge to buy a single pack of cards since the started selling that stupid box with a bobblehead doll inside of it.
lol i bought a box with a bobblehead in it. Playmakers...Got an eddy curry But i took that to a game magic vs bulls and got it signed on the base. I have so many gu cards. There prolly half fake to. Because there so clean! I wonder how these football swatches are so clean! I'm in to collecting game worn wristbands from players after games. It's in my budget and alot cooler than some stupid lil tiny swatch. Although some of the auto jersey #'d to the players jersey number is cool. But i don't like alot of this stuff. It's flooded now and future stars will never have a valuable rc because of it. Think how many "Lebron James" RC's are gonna be made. it totally effects the value of "Having a card from his rookie season" yeah, you and the rest of the world. LOL
Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Poor lady. She actually thinks or has been led to believe this is about the fans...
Why not just put 2100 packs out with a number on it that entitles you to a drawing for the whole jersey? Destroying a rare jersey to sell cards is a totally insane, assinine gesture. They could have just said, "If you're fortunate enough to get the specially marked packages, you can have a shot at winning an authentic Babe Ruth jersey!" Now, how many illiterate children will throw away that 1 inch square piece of cloth that's stuck in their cards? I know, let's just put one of his bats into a wood shredder/mulcher machine and put the sawdust into the packs. Stew-Pud.
I bought Babe Ruth jersey card. While it is a shame that they cut up history, most people can afford to own and touch a piece of history. I also have a Jackie Robinson jersey card, a Honus Wagner jersey card, a Reggie Jackson bat card, a Carl Yaz bat card, a Ernie Banks bat card among many others. I'm still shopping for a Mantle, a Williams and a DiMaggio - though I have their autographs. They also sell pieces of the Berlin Wall, Elvis' leather jacket, his army shirt and a piece of Marilyn Monroe's dress on cards.
I heard the next thing they are going to do is cut up the Shroud of Turin and place the on about 1000 prayer cards
Meh. Happens all the time. You should see the jerseys and hats that come through our office every day. What I'm concerned about is that Donruss paid a ridiculous price for the jersey, given their position in the industry. Sure, they gotta do something to sell cards (seeing as they're behind Topps, UD, and Fleer), but paying a quarter of a million for a jersey? Geez. So it helps them sell 20% more cards. Big whoop. That stunt still won't help them recoup the jersey cost. Most collectors will just wait to buy the Ruth cards on the secondary market (dealers, Ebay, etc.), anyway. Plus, they've just pissed off a lot of baseball fans. Oh well. Guess it's good for me in the long run... BTW, IROC it, Upper Deck does do what you described. I've been pushing my boss to do something similar. I hate to see jerseys cut up like that. And for the record, the hobby is alive and thriving. Sales are up this year all around. [Nelson laugh] Ha ha! [/Nelson laugh]
