Visalia collector heads to auction to get price on Babe Ruth baseball card

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- "I'm actually going on an adventure," Dale Ball is headed east in search of a fortune.

The card he describes as a 1921 Babe Ruth Shotwell W575.1b card will be looked over by the experts at Heritage Auctions in New York.

"They're very anxious about seeing it," he said. "They know and they want to be the ones for that to go to auction."

But instead of selling the card, Ball hopes the Red Sox and Yankees might want to rent the card out for display.

"Yes. That's where it's at," he said. "That's what I would like to happen."

Ruth was traded from Boston to New York. Ball will stop at Fenway Park before he continues to New York.

He says fiber testing by SGS in Wisconsin showed the fiber mix of the card was consistent with paper made before the 1950s.

But the company had to remove a portion of the back of the card to test it.

"I sat there and watched it and just about cried," Ball said.

Ball laid out part of his valuable collection for a card show of sorts. He owns much more than just the Babe Ruth card.

Dale believes Heritage Auctions will be interested in several of his cards including a 1909 Honus Wagner as well as Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig cards.

"I think they'll take everything I take them," he said.

Action News contacted Heritage Auctions in New York. The company says it has been in contact with Dale Ball but couldn't comment on the Babe Ruth card or any of his other cards until they actually see them.