California man faces prison time for fake Babe Ruth glove

A California man faces 21 months in prison for trying to sell an antique baseball mitt for $200,000 by falsely claiming it once belonged to Babe Ruth.

Irving Schieb pleaded guilty to wire fraud after he got caught lying about the glove's history over the phone to an undercover investigator in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office.


Call it the Ruse of the Bambino.

According to officials, Scheib bought the 19th century baseball glove on eBay for $750 before trying to pass it off as the Babe's.


Although the glove had no connection to Ruth, Schieb tried re-selling the tattered glove through a Nevada sports memorabilia dealer, saying it was a family heirloom that Ruth gave to the late "Father Knows Best" actor Robert Young— whose granddaughter is Scheib's wife.


It turns out the dealer knew best after Schieb claimed that the Sultan of Swat "was so affectionate towards this glove that he slept with it under his pillow at the orphanage" as a child.


Nice story but, like Rick Harrison of "Pawn Stars" always says, "Do you have proof of provenance?"


After the dealer arranged a sale, the unidentified buyer asked Schieb to notarize one of the letters proving the glove's authenticity. Schieb refused and the deal fell apart and the fed's sting was set in motion.


Sentencing is set for Oct. 30.