Jacob Ruppert Signed Revenue-Sharing Check — New York Yankees Pay the Detroit Tigers Their Cut, August 17, 1922

In 1922 the New York Yankees were the most lucrative gate attraction in baseball history. Since acquiring Babe Ruth from Boston in 1920, Yankees home attendance had more than doubled, and home receipts had followed suit every year since. Every team that hosted the Yankees -- or hosted them as visitors -- was cashing in. This check, signed by Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert as President of The American League Base Ball Club of New York, Inc., dated August 17, 1922, and drawn on Yorkville Bank at 1511 Third Avenue in New York, is the physical record of exactly that transaction. Made payable to the Detroit American League Baseball Club for $10,457.70, it represents the Yankees' payment to Detroit for their share of gate receipts from three games played August 15, 16, and 17 -- itemized on the back stub as $3,757.90, $3,554.60, and $3,245.70 respectively.

The 1922 Yankees won 94 games and captured their second straight American League pennant, finishing just one game ahead of the St. Louis Browns. Detroit finished 15 games back in third place, but games against the Yankees still meant a payday. The Yankees' share of road receipts had more than doubled since Ruth's arrival -- meaning every team in the American League was profiting from the Babe whether they liked it or not. This check is a direct piece of that financial reality: Ruppert's signature authorizing payment to a road opponent, the routine mechanics of baseball business in the middle of a pennant race, on a day when the Yankees were drawing crowds that no team in the sport could match. Authenticated by JSA, certification number A35885.