Babe Ruth's 1920 Cuba Tour Contract Goes to Heritage on November 16, Opening at $40,000

Babe Ruth's signed contract for a 1920 exhibition tour of Cuba, which guaranteed him $10,000 for up to ten games, goes to auction at Heritage on November 16, 2026, with a $40,000 opening bid, per the Heritage lot page. The one-page agreement sold for $6,900 at Christie's in October 1994 and for $118,750 at Goldin in February 2017, as Sports Collectors Daily recalled on November 13. It had no bids yet on November 15.

The Contract

Per Heritage:

• What it is: a one-page contract, 9 by 13 1/8 inches, dated September 7, 1920, signed "Geo. H. Ruth"
• Other signatures: Cuban promoter Abel Linares, Ruth's secretary John J. Igoe and witness Charles D. Fleming
• The deal: up to ten exhibition games in Cuba between October 31 and November 14, 1920, for $10,000, with $2,000 on signing and $8,000 by October 20
• Extras: transportation, hotels and expenses for Ruth, his wife and his secretary
• Condition: very good overall, with toning, flattened folds, a few separations reinforced with archival tissue, and a bold signature

At $1,000 a game, the tour paid Ruth nearly twice the per-game rate of his richest major league deal, the $80,000 a season he signed for in 1930, per SABR, according to Heritage. His Yankees salary in 1920 was $20,000, per Sports Collectors Daily.

"This contract captures Babe Ruth as he was becoming an international sports attraction," Doug Dreier, Heritage's Historical Manuscripts Consignment Director, said in the auction house's November 6 press release.

The Tour, and a Correction on Torriente

Ruth had just hit 54 home runs in his first Yankees season, per Heritage, and in Havana he joined John McGraw's New York Giants against Cuban clubs whose rosters included Black stars barred from the major leagues by the color line. He hit .345 on the tour, with two home runs, per Heritage.

The tour's famous game came on November 4, when Cristóbal Torriente hit three home runs and a double as Almendares beat the Giants 11-4, per Sports Collectors Daily. Heritage's lot text says one of the homers came while Ruth was pitching, the same story Christie's told when it sold the contract in 1994. The play-by-play in Jorge S. Figueredo's 1982 Society for American Baseball Research article has all three homers coming off George Kelly. Ruth relieved Kelly in the fifth inning, Torriente's only at-bat against him was a two-run double, and Ruth then went back to first base. Sports Collectors Daily, citing that research, calls the Ruth version incorrect. Torriente was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

How to Bid and What It Costs

• Auction: Heritage's Historical Documents Including Texana Signature Auction #6334, lot 47101
• Live session: 11:00 a.m. Central Time, Monday, November 16, 2026, with online proxy bids closing at 10:50 a.m.
• Opening bid: $40,000, or $50,000 with Heritage's 25% buyer's premium
• Status on November 15: no bids yet, per the lot page

What It Means for Collectors

Our take: the contract's past is part of its price. It went from $6,900 to $118,750 between 1994 and 2017, and even with Heritage's 25% premium its $50,000 opening price is well under half that Goldin figure, so Monday's result will show where top Ruth documents sit today. The paper also tells a story the cards cannot: Ruth, at the moment he became baseball's biggest star, sharing a field with Cuban players like Torriente. Our story on the $976,000 signed Ruth card and our guide to the most expensive baseball cards show what Ruth brings on cardboard, and our SCP Fall Premier story covers two Ruth bats.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did Babe Ruth earn for his 1920 Cuba tour?

His contract guaranteed $10,000 for up to ten exhibition games between October 31 and November 14, 1920, per Heritage, plus travel and hotel costs.

When is the Babe Ruth Cuba contract auction?

Monday, November 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time, in Heritage's Historical Documents auction in Dallas. Bidding opens at $40,000.

What did the Babe Ruth Cuba contract sell for before?

$6,900 at Christie's in October 1994 and $118,750 at Goldin in February 2017, per Christie's and Sports Collectors Daily.

Where to Go From Here

Babe Ruth's 1920 Cuba tour contract opens at $40,000 at Heritage on November 16, 2026. If you would rather collect without a $40,000 opening bid, the Polkastarter marketplace gives you a free mystery pack when you sign up, and every Lootbox lists its contents, values, and chances before you open it.

Details checked November 15, 2026. Bids and status are as shown on Heritage's lot page on November 15, 2026, and will change. Nothing here is financial advice. Polkastarter is not affiliated with Heritage Auctions, Goldin, Christie's, Major League Baseball or the other companies named.

Sources

• Heritage Auctions: Babe Ruth Contract Signed, lot 47101, accessed November 15, 2026
• Heritage Auctions: Babe Ruth Cuban Exhibition Contract and Lindbergh Navigation Calculations Lead Heritage Manuscripts Signature Auction, published November 6, 2026, accessed November 15, 2026
• Heritage Auctions: 2026 November 16 Historical Documents Including Texana Signature Auction #6334, accessed November 15, 2026
• Christie's: Ruth Contract for Cuban Tour, sold October 1994, accessed November 15, 2026
• Sports Collectors Daily: Signed 1920 Ruth Cuba Tour Contract Soars to $118,750, published February 19, 2017, accessed November 15, 2026
• Paul Fraser Collectibles: Babe Ruth's 1920 Cuba contract sells for $119,000, published February 20, 2017, accessed November 15, 2026
• SABR: November 4, 1920: The Day Torriente Outclassed Ruth, Baseball Research Journal, 1982, accessed November 15, 2026
• SABR: Babe Ruth biography, accessed November 15, 2026
• Sports Collectors Daily: Babe Ruth's $10,000 Cuba Tour Contract Returns to Auction, Nearly a Century After Historic Trip, published November 13, 2026, accessed November 15, 2026