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Signed 1960s Babe Ruth & Roger Maris Original Artwork w/Mint Maris Autograph (PSA)
Presented is beautiful, 1960s original artwork, a cartoon featuring drawings of Babe Ruth and Roger Maris, signed and inscribed both by Maris and by the artist, Vic Johnson. In 1961, Maris and Mickey Mantle were both chasing Babe Ruth's single-season MLB record of 60 home runs. Mantle lost games because of injury, and Maris broke Ruth's record on Oct. 1, 1961, when he homered to right field at Yankee Stadium off Red Sox righthander Tracy Stallard. The Maris blast came on a 2-0 pitch in the fourth inning with the bases empty, and it was the only run of the game in the New York victory. On January 25, 1962, the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers of America held the organization's annual dinner at Boston's Statler Hilton and honored Maris as the American League's 1961 MVP. Vic Johnson, a well-known political and sports cartoonist for the Boston Herald newspaper, created the displayed offering, a cartoon that "plugged" the upcoming dinner. Johnson drew five images on the offering: 1) Tracy Stallard; 2) Mrs. Babe Ruth, a guest at the dinner; 3) Babe Ruth; 4) Maris; 5) Tom Zachary, the Washington Senators lefthander who threw the ball at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30, 1927, that Ruth hit for his 60th homer. Zachary was a guest at the dinner. Years later, Maris inscribed and signed the cartoon on the lower left, using blue ink from a ballpoint pen to neatly inscribe and sign, "To Ed Best Always Roger Maris 10/3/67." Artist Vic Johnson also used blue ink from a ballpoint pen to inscribe and sign the cartoon on the lower right, "To my good friend Eddie Cugini [?] With best wishes always Vic Johnson." Johnson also signed the artwork with his circled signature in the lower right center. There are a few minor stains on the artistic rendering and a few tiny instances of foxing, both hardly noteworthy and to be expected after more than sixty years. Overall, the 12.5x19" artwork, matted to 19.5x25.5", is in excellent condition, and the high caliber artwork of Vic Johnson stands as an appealing testament to the greatness of Babe Ruth, to the achievement of Maris, and to the fascinating Boston/New York connection to baseball history.
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