He was one of the greatest baseball players of all time, but did you know that Babe Ruth was also a radio star?

Yes, the legendary home run hitter for the Baltimore Orioles, then the Boston Red Sox, and then the New York Yankees was not only an athlete but also quite an entertainer! In fact, Babe’s celebrity even reached beyond the sphere of radio, and he had a few bit parts in silent films. But radio was what he loved, with his personal favorite program beingJack Armstrong: The All-American Boy.

In fact, Babe loved it so, he was even known to miss practices for it! It was in 1934, however, that his own radio career came to be. Play Ball and The Adventures of Babe Ruth were the first two shows. Sponsored by Quaker Oats, these shows aired three times a week. Then, in 1937, the Sinclair Babe Ruth Program, sponsored by Sinclair Oil, aired twice a week. In 1943 two more Babe Ruth shows hit the airwaves, Here’s Babe Ruth and Baseball Quiz, which aired on Saturdays.

Jokes, interviews with top baseball players and predictions about upcoming games were the hallmarks of these programs, and premiums including cards, pinbacks, rings, books and more, all of which are very valuable today, were part of the excitement. There was even a game, “Ask Me – The Game of Baseball Facts”, which is also extremely scarce today. Babe Ruth is one of the biggest names when it comes to collecting, and memorabilia from his extraordinary career will likely always be in high demand. But when you come across an item from this other career, that of the radio Babe, you have hit upon a home run collectible indeed.