BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — A circa 1942-45 Official American League baseball, signed by Babe Ruth and authenticated by JSA, hit a home run with bidders at Nye & Company’s inaugural Gentleman Collector Auction, June 12-13. Conducted right before Father’s Day, the sale offered about 650 lots in a variety of categories, from sporting and illustration art, watches and medallions, maps, photographs, smoking implements, pens, cars, toys and minerals. Andrew Holter, the firm’s recently minted president, told Antiques and The Arts Weekly, “Venturing into the collectibles arena, the sale brought a good number of new bidders and buyers to the Nye universe which was very exciting. We look forward to continuing with bringing smaller specialized sales to the market.” He confirmed that one of the new bidders was a private New Jersey collector who won the baseball for $10,625, including buyer’s premium. More highlights from this sale will appear in an upcoming issue.