A Piece of Babe Ruth History, and a Piece of Reclaim History, Is Up for Auction
- Eric Wagenmaker
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
There are certain projects that come through our doors that we know we will remember forever.
This is one of them.
Since founding Reclaim Customs in 2021, we've had the privilege of creating one-of-one pieces featuring some incredible names, autographs, and pieces of memorabilia. But what we were given the opportunity to create with a pair of Babe Ruth's photo-matched, game-used New York Yankees pants is unlike anything we have done before.
And now, the marquee piece from the entire project is available to the public.
For the next few days, collectors have the opportunity to bid on a true one-of-one Babe Ruth Reclaim Customs booklet through Heritage Auctions.
The auction ends Sunday night, August 23, so this is a very limited opportunity.
The Marquee Piece of the Collection
At the center of this booklet is an approximately 2" x 3" jumbo relic displaying three Yankees pinstripes, cut from Babe Ruth's game-used New York Yankees pants.
These are not simply period pants attributed to Ruth. The garment was photo matched by SIA Photo Match to images of Babe Ruth from the 1925 season and Yankees 1926 spring training, creating an extraordinary documented connection between the material inside this card and Ruth himself.
We paired that jumbo relic with an authentic Babe Ruth autograph to create a piece that brings two tangible pieces of baseball history together in a single one-of-one presentation.
The finished booklet features extensive custom detailing, including textured gold holofoil, and was designed from the beginning to give both the autograph and the three-stripe relic the prominence they deserve.
Pictures do a good job of showing it.
In person, it's on another level.
Of everything Reclaim Customs has produced since we began in 2021, we consider this the marquee piece of our portfolio to date.
And someone is about to own it.
The Last Opportunity From This Relic Collection
What makes this auction especially significant is that this isn't the beginning of a larger public release.
It's essentially the end.
The remaining relics from these Babe Ruth pants have already been spoken for. Those swatches were reserved by Reclaim Customs customers and are being incorporated into individually commissioned one-of-one pieces.
There won't be another public release of relics from our allocation.
That makes the Heritage booklet particularly special. Not only does it contain the largest and most visually significant relic we reserved for a Reclaim Customs piece, but it is also the one piece from this project being offered openly to collectors rather than being created for an existing customer.
If you've followed Reclaim Customs and ever wanted the opportunity to own one of our most important creations, this is it.
You don't have to have commissioned it.
You don't have to have been one of the collectors who reserved a relic.
You simply have to win it.
See How We Made It
There is much more to this project than the finished booklet.
We documented the process behind the scenes so collectors could see these historic materials up close and understand how they were transformed into a new generation of one-of-one collectibles.
Our feature video takes you inside the project, including a closer look at the Babe Ruth pants relics, the creation of the Heritage booklet, and several of the other commissioned one-of-one pieces being created from the remaining swatches.
For anyone who appreciates the intersection of sports history, provenance, card design, craftsmanship, and true game-used memorabilia, we think you'll enjoy seeing this one come together.
From One Historic Artifact to a New Generation of Collectibles
One of the things we love most about this project is the story these pieces will continue to tell.
A single historic garment has now become the foundation for a small collection of individually documented one-of-one pieces. Each will go to a different collector. Each will have its own design and identity. But every one of them traces back to the same remarkable source.
For us, that's what makes relic cards compelling when they're done right.
The relic shouldn't simply be decoration inside a card.
The relic should be the reason the card exists.
Everything surrounding it should help preserve, document, and celebrate the history of the artifact itself.
That's what we set out to accomplish with this collection.
One Collector Gets This One
The commissioned relics have homes.
The other Reclaim Customs pieces are being created for the collectors who reserved them.
But this one is still up for grabs.
A 2" x 3" three-pinstripe relic from Babe Ruth's photo-matched game-used Yankees pants.
An authentic Babe Ruth autograph.
A true Reclaim Customs 1/1 booklet.
And the piece we believe represents the most significant custom card we've created since Reclaim Customs began.
Heritage's auction concludes Sunday night, August 23.
After that, this opportunity is gone.
If this is a piece you'd be proud to have in your collection, don't just watch from the sidelines.
Give yourself a chance to own it.
Thank you to everyone who has followed this project, trusted us with a relic, shared the story, or supported Reclaim Customs along the way.
We're incredibly proud of this one.
Now we're excited to see who takes it home.
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