Comments: The first portrait card of Ruth I owned was a 1948 Leaf PSA 3 and sold for a small profit in April, 2001. I replaced it with a PSA 6 in December, 2002 with another eBay win. In January, 2007, I decided to go with another issue for the Bambino when this 1925 Drake's example showed up on eBay. I remember being outbid several times and bidding over and over, finally outlasting my competition. I learned the next day that it was a hobby friend. It's another favorite of mine! I sold the PSA 6 Leaf card a few months later. The card is a very strong PSA 2! Absolutely Ruthian…

UPDATE: Occasionally I dream about owning some cards.  Yes, I actually wake up remembering how an item slipped away from me when I could have easily owned it by clicking a button on a website.  If I asked my immigrant parents (both born in Poland) to name one baseball player I really don’t think my Dad could name anybody.  As far as my Mom goes, I’m fairly certain she’d say Baby Ruth (after the candy bar of course).  In this case, a SGC 7 example with a “Yankee Cake” back showed up on eBay sometime before COVID (approx. 2018).  I should have snagged it then because the price was reasonable ~$8500.  The card had last sold in a Legendary Auction held November 28-29th, 2012, for much, much less ($4183 with juice):

I had it in my “Watched List” and I noticed the auction ended.  “No” I screamed in my nightmare.  But, it showed back up on eBay a week later - now, with a much higher price of $16K.  Card prices were starting to rise as investors were pumping more money into the market.  Collectors were still scooping up items here and there.  But, investors were hoarding the big names and GEM MT rarities.  Prices started skyrocketing!  I reached out to the seller but we couldn’t come to terms.  It was out of my price range.  The card tormented me every time it showed up in one of my searches.  By early 2022, the seller raised the price again…to $29,875!  “Buy It Now” would tag on another 7% in taxes.  I was looking at $33K to upgrade the biggest name in baseball history.  The card was the highest graded example in the hobby for this particular issue.  And, unlike its counterparts labeled “Drake’s Cake” on the back this NN beauty came with the Yankee advertisement.  I found an article explaining the set was most likely issued in 1932 because other Universal stars in the set hadn’t yet made their final debut until then.  The published 1925 year didn’t make sense.  But, it was still contemporary to The Babe’s playing career.  With approximately 18 total examples graded by both SGC and PSA, this was by far the best one available in the whole world.  How could I pass up the opportunity to upgrade a portrait card in my HOF collection of the Great Bambino?  I came so close to clicking the BIN on eBay this time around.  I wanted it so bad I couldn’t sleep anymore…honest.  I reached out to the seller via eBay’s message service…nothing.  I found his email, IG and Facebook information hidden under his UserID…again nothing.  I upped my offer to sell it off eBay…and a few days later got an email response.  He replied with an offer and we reached an agreement.  I decided to fly out to California and pick up the card in person.  On Thursday December 28th, a dear friend picked me up at the airport and was kind enough to accompany me for a meeting with the seller over dinner.  As we approached the restaurant, plans changed and we decided it would be better to meet at a quieter location - the Springfield Suites near Huntington Beach.  We sat at a table off to the side of the lobby and made the exchange.  It felt like a drug deal was going down as people walked by and took a peak. A few minutes later the world’s best 1932 Yankee Cake Ruth was mine.  The stress was over and I will never need to carry so much cash through an airport, on a plane, and watch it get counted multiple times ever again.  For Ruth’s sake - it was worth it and what a way to close out 2022!!!