The Kentucky Derby owner’s trophy commemorating Spend a Buck’s victory at Churchill Downs 31 years ago, sold for $188,305 in the Lelands.com Winter Catalog Auction early Sunday.
The trophy was obtained directly from the widow of “Spend A Buck” owner Dennis Diaz. It’s the same trophy is seen in winner’s circle and victory celebration photos taken that day.
The trophy contains 61.5 ounces of gold. At today’s market value, that equates to approximately $50,000 in gold content alone.
The auction included numerous horse racing items including a halter worn by Triple Crown champ American Pharoah’s halter. It sold for $19,326.
Lelands also offered a 1930-31 Babe Ruth model bat authenticated and graded 8.5 by PSA/DNA. The bat drew ten bids before closing with a winning bid of $72,600.
Jackie Robinson’s personal copy of the Hall of Fame induction plaque, presented to him in 
Cooperstown in 1962, realized $72,600.
The plaque included a letter of authenticity from Rachel Robinson, written in 2000.
Also sold was the first single-signed Moe Berg autographed baseball authenticated by PSA/DNA. Penned in blue ink on an official American League William Harridge ball, it brought $35,458.
Another one-of-a-kind item was a 1927 Cincinnati Reds road flannel complete uniform, worn by Everett “Pid” Purdy. Including the pinstripe jersey, pants and leggings, the rare uniform sold for $27,569. After spending the majority of his career toiling in the minor leagues, primarily in his home state of Nebraska, Purdy made it up to the Reds in 1927 and also played pro football for the Green Bay Packers in 1926 and 1927.
A rare full ticket to the deciding game of the 1909 World Series also generated plenty of interest. The Series pitted the two greatest stars of the day against each other, with Honus Wagner’s Pirates knocking off Ty Cobb’s Tigers. The ticket, graded VG, sold for $26,003.
Additional memorabilia sold in the auction included a Speedo swimsuit used by Michael Phelps in the 2008 Olympics and signed by the superstar swimmer the night he won his record eighth gold medal ($8,270), a 1960s Brian Piccolo Chicago Bears jacket ($5,797), a 1941 Hugh “Shorty” Ray signed NFL Football Record Book ($11,692), and the helmet worn by Los Angeles Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel ($7,339) when he suffered a concussion during a 1970 game and subsequently used the following year in government hearings regarding the effects of head trauma on artificial turf.
The auction also featured an early 1960s Jack Twyman Cincinnati Royals game-worn fleece warm-up jacket ($14,147), a complete uniform worn by actor Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own” ($13,343) and a 1954 Milan Indians State Champions jacket ($8,285) – the team from the tiny Indiana school that served as inspiration for the film “Hoosiers.”
Lelands.com also auctioned off a vintage 1927 Lou Gehrig photo by Charles M. Conlon from “Baseball Magazine” — “The Sultan of Swat’s Probable Successor” ($13,001) and a 1975 Boston Red Sox World Series ring from the general manager ($5,513).
All prices include a 20% buyer’s premium.
See the full results here.
Lelands is currently running another auction on eBay, which you can see here.
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