Description:

It is not clear whether this originated in the 1934 or 1935. However, Babe Didrikson was the first woman to appear on a Wheaties Box. Babe Didrikson (Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias) is considered one of the great female athletes of all-time. Prior to her incredible world record setting performances in the javelin and hurdles at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Didrikson had already gained notoriety playing for a Dallas-based, industrial league basketball team, becoming an All-American at age 18 and winning the national AAU championship. At times, Didrikson’s accomplishments border on the unthinkable. She once won an entire track meet as a single member of a Dallas-based company team, while competing against various teams of 10 or more athletes. Didrikson also had the opportunity to play with her own travelling basketball squad as well as with the famous House of David team. So it’s not surprising that Didrikson’s appearance on a Wheaties box was a first ever in Wheaties history for a female athlete. Later in her life, Didrikson took up golf, winning an incredible 82 amateur and professional tournaments. This Wheaties panel with a simulated frame border measures approximately 6” x 6 ½” in dimension. Sometimes they are cut to retain the bottom panel of the box as well. While Babe’s extraordinary athletic talent make her memorabilia popular with wide range of sports collectors, only few these items show her playing basketball. This particular panel highlights her basketball glory days as a member of her barnstorming team, and adorns a facsimile signature in the lower right corner of the image. This is an incredible piece of basketball history.