Al Capone-Babe Ruth signed baseball is so rare it’s criminal
BY NEIL HAYES Twitter: @bynhayes January 23, 2013 10:06AM
Al Capone at a football game in Chicago in 1931.
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Updated: January 23, 2013 10:34AM
One grandfather was Herb Pennock, one of the best left-handed pitchers of all time. The other was former White Sox great Eddie Collins, who ranks among the top second baseman in history. Pete Collins grew up admiring a collection of autographed baseballs in a drawer in his grandmother’s house. The one he cherished was signed by two men who defined the 1920s. The ball, signed by Babe Ruth and Al Capone, could fetch as much as $200,000 via a live auction at www.milehighcardco.com that culminates Jan. 31. “I was a huge ‘Untouchables’ fan with Eliot Ness,” said Collins, a retired chemical research technician who lives in Deleware. “I always liked the bad guys. I saw this ball and I fawned over it so much my grandmother made sure it was mine.” Pennock approached Capone for an autograph when the Yankees played at Comiskey Park in 1931. Pennock was later reprimanded by either Yankees manager Joe McCarthy or commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis for interacting with the gangster, according to Pete Collins. Pennock later asked teammate Ruth to sign the same ball. Before the end of the 1931 season, Capone would be indicted for tax evasion. “Capone was arch-criminal No. 1 and he didn’t sign tons of things,” said Mile High Card Co. President Brian Drent. “His signature is very difficult to find. He avoided signing. We’ve never seen another Capone autograph on a baseball, let alone along with Babe Ruth.”
