This Date in History: Babe Ruth Hits #60 – Beckett Pricing Insider
On September 30th, 1927, Babe Ruth hit a Tom Zachary pitch down over right field for his record-breaking 60th home run of the season. The Yankees would go on to win the game 4-2, and Ruth’s single-season home run record would stand for more than 30 years.
The occasion of the Sultan of Swat’s historic home run has been immortalized on several cards over the years, most notably the 1961 Topps #401 ($60), 1962 Topps #139 ($30) and 1969-70 Bazooka Panels #11 ($50).
None of these are particularly difficult to find. Off-condition, but presentable, copies can be found for around $10. Professionally graded copies of these cards will set you back quite a bit more. Graded NrMt (7) copies of the 1961 and 1962 Topps cards sell for about $100, while Bazooka Panel is estimated to have a similar value in that condition.
An interesting side note, pitcher Tom Zachary has 30 cards in the Beckett Online Price Guide, from the 1922 E120 American Caramel Series of 240 ($200) set to the 1993 Conlon TSN set ($0.05). He had one card issued during the 1927 season, hailing for the 1927 York Caramel Type 1 E210 issue, which is currently valued at $300.
This edition of the Beckett Pricing Insider is sponsored by MN Nice Cards.
