The stars aligned inside Heritage Auctions’ Dallas headquarters this week and the result was a one-of-a-kind display that’s probably never going to be seen again.
The company had just sold jerseys of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle for over $27 million in its August Platinum auction and was also holding a 1930s Lou Gehrig model.
Then, in came a large, high-end collection of more Yankee gamers that were also designated for the auction block. Among them: jerseys of Billy Martin, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris, Derek Jeter and Joe Torre.
The result was that Heritage was now in temporary possession of game-worn jersey from all nine single-digit Yankee retired numbers, 1 through 9. It was a moment made for a video, even if they couldn’t keep them on display in its on-site gallery for long.
“We knew we had to document it, and didn’t have much time as the ones from the Platinum Auction were going to be shipped soon,” Production Manager Mike Provenzale told SC Daily. “So we decided to put them all together in our gallery in the Dallas office and make the video.
“Given the Yankees status in baseball and our industry, and how legendary those numbers are in Yankee lore, we couldn’t pass up that opportunity. It’s the only time we know of gamers from those nine players have been assembled together, likely the Yankees have never been able to do that either.”
Provenzale says all of the jerseys date to particularly significant years, games or moments. The Maris jersey has special significance, which the company will reveal in the days to come.
The newly arrived jerseys will be featured in multiple upcoming auctions starting with the December Auction which closes Dec 5-7.
The most valuable jerseys in the collection will be in the company’s next Platinum Auction in February.
