Grey Flannel Auctions is offering a ball attributed to Ty Cobb’s promised 1925 home run barrage, Jeffrey Maeir’s infamous glove from the 1996 World Series and the jersey Brett Favre wore in his final regular season game at Lambeau Field. The items are part of the company’s Holiday Auction, now underway.
The ball hit by Cobb in May of 1925 was caught in the right field seats in St. Louis by a fan named Al Lanemann, who had him sign it upon the Tigers’ return trip to Sportsman’s Park in July. Cobb, who told a reporter that spring he planned to show off his power to quiet critics who said he was incapable of hitting home runs, belted five in two days, the final blast landing where Lanemann was sitting. Cobb went 9-for-12 over the two-day stretch.
His mark of five homers in two days has been tied but never surpassed. The ball comes with a letter from the family of the fan who caught it describing the events of that season. The ball sold for over $20,000 in 2006 through Robert Edward Auctions.
Maier’s glove is coming to auction for the second time this year, having been offered by another auction house last February. The 11-year-old stuck the glove over the right field wall at Yankee Stadium, hauling in Derek Jeter’s long drive in the eighth inning of the first game of the 1996 American League Championship Series. It was ruled a home run, despite the objections of Orioles’ outfielder Tony Tarasco who was leaping to grab it and the Yankees jumped out to a 1-0 Series lead that propelled them toward a World Series title.
The auction lot includes a letter of authenticity from Jeffrey Maier along with multiple photomatches of him wearing the glove. It comes with a $15,000 reserve.
Favre’s final regular season game at Lambeau Field came on December 30, 2007, and was just a tune up for the playoffs. Favre threw two touchdown passes (#441 and 442 of his long career). The signed, inscribed jersey, which carries a $10,000 reserve, comes with photomatches and a letter of authenticity from Favre, according to Grey Flannel.
On December 10, 1961, Lou Groza broke the NFL record for total points scored with 826, as he kicked a field goal and two extra points. The Cleveland Browns road jersey Groza wore during that contest is being offered with a family letter of authenticity and photo matches.
Lot #550 is a Wayne Gretzky game-used Los Angeles Kings road jersey “The Great One” wore during the 1992-93 NHL Season. The jersey comes with a letter of authenticity from the Kings, as well as a second letter from trainer Pete Demers. It carries a $5,000 reserve.
Other items up for bid include:
Ed Maccauley’s 1951 NBA All-Star MVP trophy (first All-Star Game in league history)- Dual signed Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig baseball, dated September 30, 1927, the day Ruth broke his own record for homers in a season with 60.
- 1927 Yankees “Murderer’s Row” team signed photo with Ruth, Gehrig, Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Ben Paschal, Tony Lazzeri and Pat Collins.
- 1933 Yankees team signed baseball with Ruth, Gehrig
- High-grade Ruth single-signed ball
- 1971 Pete Rose game-worn road flannel jersey, originally sourced from Rose’s wife Carolyn, who brought the jersey to a Cincinnati area card shop in the early 1980s.
- Michael Jordan 1996 NBA Finals shooting shirt with team LOA
The auction closes December 9 and includes over 1,400 lots. All are viewable at GreyFlannelAuctions.com.
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