It seemed unconscionable at the time. Lou Gehrig, baseball’s greatest player, was suddenly very ordinary. No one knew he was beginning to be ravaged by the ALS that would claim his life in just two years but on April 29, 1939, there was one last glimpse of the original Iron Man when he rapped a base hit off Washington Senators’ pitcher Ken Chase on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
It was his 2,721st –and last—base hit.
The man once thought to be a shoo-in for 3,000 hits—knew he was struggling, though. He went hitless in one final game on April 30 and benched himself, never to play again.
Gehrig is still an icon in the game and to collectors.
In honor of Gehrig’s number, here are 4 major sales of individual baseball cards featuring the Yankees’ beloved Hall of Famer:
1934 Goudey #37 SGC 98 $125,332 (sold by SCP Auctions, August 2013)
1933 DeLong Gum PSA 8, $45,410 (sold by Memory Lane, January 2015)
1925 Exhibit (Autographed) PSA 8 $35,850 (sold by Heritage Auctions, February 2015)
1933 Goudey #92 SGC 96, $35,850 (sold by Heritage Auctions, May 2012)
Related Stories:
Autographed Lou Gehrig Type I Photo Dates to ’33 Goudey Shoot
Six 1933 Goudey Cards That Should Have Been Printed
5 Great Goudey Cards (Besides Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig)
5 Clutch 1934 Goudey Baseball Cards to Consider
1933 World Wide Gum Set Brought Goudey Cards to Canada
1933 Goudey R309-1 Premium Set an Historic Gem
Editor’s Blog: William Gardiner’s Amazing Goudey Sheets at Auction
