LOGANVILLE, Ga. — “This is a Babe Ruth autographed hat,” Taylor Pruitt said. He’s in the sports memorabilia business, where he says money is no object.
Pruitt works at Got Baseball Cards in Loganville. The place has been around for more than 30 years selling in-store and in today’s modern times, online. They have lots of one-of-a-kind items, like the Babe Ruth cap and an autographed jacket that once belonged to baseball’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose.
“We’ve been trying to get $12,000 for this Babe Ruth hat. That’s where we’re sitting right now. The Pete Rose is around $1,200 for the jacket he wore,” Taylor said.
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But that’s nothing.
The really big money is reserved for the jersey that Atlanta’s home run hero Hammerin’ Hank Aaron wore during his rookie season with the Milwaukee Braves.
It’s on the auction block through a company called Heritage Auctions based in Dallas, Texas. They also have an Aaron jersey from 1974, the year he hit home run number 715, and also the bases and home plate that were on the field the night he did it.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution just published an article that calls into question the authenticity of those bases. An Atlanta Braves Spokesperson told WSB-TV,
“We are aware of the auction and are looking into the authenticity of the items as well as claims of ownership.”
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Pruitt says proving that an item is the real deal is part of the business. If the items are authentic, he says they’ll fetch a fortune. As for that 60-year-old Hank Aaron rookie jersey, he says the sky is the limit.
“Let’s say $7 million. For the fun of it! I think it can go that high. People are willing to spend money for Hank Aaron,” Pruitt said.
You can check out Got Baseball Cards HERE.
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