About 150 bidders and spectators watched more than 100 premium sports memorabilia pieces go under the hammer Thursday night in Chicago.
The Heritage Live event saw some heavy bidding on several one of a kind pieces. A 1908 Cy Young Boston Red Sox jersey topped all lots when it sold for $657,250 including the buyer’s premium at the swanky Muvico Theatres. Dallas-based Heritage Auctions sold more than 100 items, most with a pre-sale estimate of at least $10,000. Bidders watched the action unfold on a big screen TV while relaxing in lounge-like seating at a private VIP theatre following a buffet dinner and open bar.
Joe Jackson’s famous Black Betsy bat was on the market again. This time, it brought a price of $537,750 and was purchased by Memory Lane Inc. for a private client.
Total proceeds from the auction generated nearly $5 million.
The recent find of a collection of Lou Gehrig memorabilia included several pieces that proved to be a magnet for 
deep-pocketed bidders. Gehrig’s 1934 Tour of Japan jersey sold for $507,875, while his cap from the same tour sold for $95,600. A 1928 Yankees championship watch he once wore brought $155,350 and a high quality 1926 Yankees team-signed baseball sold for $131,450.
Golf collectors had a rare chance to buy an actual vintage Masters 
green jacket once donned by Bobby Jones. It sold for $310,700.
Two autographed baseballs from some pre-World War I legends were popular and each sold for the same amount. A single-signed Eddie Plank baseball circa 1915 and a 1923-dated Christy Mathewson ball each brought $83,6500.
Other sales included:
- 1914-15 Honus Wagner bat $89,625
- 1949 Jackie Robinson All-Star Game bat $83,650
- Don Hutson vintage Green Bay Packers #14 jersey $80,662
- 1953 Topps Willie Mays SGC 96 $80,663
- 1920 Red Faber White Sox jersey $68,712
- Single-signed Gehrig ball from the late 1920s $59,750
- Marilyn Monroe-kissed baseball signed by her and ’52 World Series champion Yankees $59,750
Watch the beginning of the auction below and check out the pictures, courtesy of Auction Report.
