An extraordinary piece of memorabilia from the great Bambino’s personal effects, obtained in person from Babe Ruth’s widow, Claire Ruth in 1968. The lucky recipient of the Babe’s straw boater hat was none other than Joe Franklin, of the Joe Franklin show (WOR-TV). Franklin was such a longtime and loyal fan of Ruth, that in 1948 he actually “camped” in the hallway near the room where Ruth was being treated in the hospital for cancer, praying that Ruth would rebound and get better. It was years later when Franklin hosted Claire Ruth on his television show, that he was given this straw hat, personally owned by the Babe. Claire gave Franklin the hat, among other things from Babe Ruth’s personal effects to donate to Franklin’s “Archives of Nostalgia”. The stylish and finely crafted straw hat speaks to the Babe’s somber style of dress. He can be seen in photos (a copy of which is included) wearing the hat, as a piece of his more formal ensemble. Custom-made stamp on inside of hat. Plenty of wear shown on the leather headband inside, which is cracked in several spots, but the straw has held up strongly. A simple black & brown ribbon adorns the top of hat. A marvelous piece of authentic Babe Ruth memorabilia with accompanying LOA from Joe Franklin himself, explaining the circumstances under which he came to own this item.