One of the more intriguing of the Bambino's bats, guaranteed to make collectors and Ruth-ologists pull out the magnfying glass to pore over every centimeter of its sacred wood. Babe buffs can usually identify the few remaining bats he swung by its telltale characteristics, but this one is a little tougher nut to crack. As best we can tell, Ruth used it in the mid-'20s, since the Louisville Slugger is missing the "125" stamping (it may be stamped lightly but after inspection it cannot be detected) common to the Sluggers from around 1917 on, except for a small interregnum in the mid-'20s when the company went through a transitional period and may have left the stamping off. In the area on the oblong trademark just under the engraved "Louisville Slugger" and over "Hillerich & Bradsby Co." there is an apparent empty space where the "125" normally was printed. We've put the bat under a rigorous inspection with our own magnifiers and other tools trying to find traces of a rubbed-off "125" but we don't believe it was ever there, particularly because the other stampings are all readable, including the "Made in the U.S.A., Louisville, Ky" at the bottom of the trademark and the personalized George "Babe" Ruth on the barrel. The latter, as well, offers a good clue as to the bat's vintage age, as this modification of Ruth's name was found on bats from the mid-'20s on. It is possible Babe used the lumber into the early '30s, but it is more probable that the bat was around for a while and used by other Yankees, perhaps even after he left the team in the mid-'30s, given the very heavy ball and other markings, including a red spot about two inches from the end of the barrelhead, and signs of substantial usage all around, including a piece chipped from the knob. If so, this bat has one of the longest histories of any Ruth bat. It's also one of the lighter Babe bats around at 37.3 ounces, evidence that while the Babe is known for using one of the heaviest sticks in history -- routinely over 40 ounces and even close to 50 at times -- he was smart enough to know that he had to lighten up the lumber as he got older, in order to maintain the quickness of his swing, which was more controlled than many people think. (For a free signer, Babe never struck out 100 times in a season, which is unheard of by today's slugging standards). Overall, the bat looks beautiful, owning an even dark brown coating that gleams, and only the most minor of imperfection in the form of a 1" crack along the handle. Together with those ball markings, any one of which could be the imprint of one of the 714 balls he lost, this is a splendid and timeless antique -- the perfect Ruth display bat, and one that will keep baseball archeologists digging for more clues.