As the first week of May 1939 came to a close, baseball’s biggest mystery was what had happened to Lou Gehrig. The once robust 36-year-old Yankee first baseman had seemingly lost most of his big league ability and shockingly pulled himself from the lineup before a game in Detroit just a few days earlier. The end of Gehrig’s 2,130-game streak made headlines but what … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: 1932 Yankees Infield Ahead of World Series
They had dominated the American League, winning the pennant by 13 games while finishing with a 107-47. There were still ten days left in the regular season when the Associated Press distributed a photo featuring members of the team’s infield, ahead of the upcoming World Series. The 6 ½ x 8 ¼” image shows first baseman Lou Gehrig, glancing away, posed with … [Read more...]
Model for All Others? Early Gehrig Bat Sold for Over $1 Million
A bat beloved by a promising young ballplayer named Lou Gehrig has sold for more than $1 million. Heritage Auctions says it completed the private sale this week. The Hillerich & Bradsby bat is one of the earliest known examples of a Gehrig-used stick ever to hit the market. It was originally available as part of Heritage’s Winter Platinum Night Sports … [Read more...]
Candid Gehrig Photo at Fenway Among RMY Headliners
With Babe Ruth finally out of the picture, Lou Gehrig had become baseball's marquee name in 1936. He had played in more than 1,700 consecutive games but showed no sign of fatigue. Now, a rare candid image from that season--taken in the ballpark of the Yanks' biggest rival--is on the auction block. RMY Auctions has kicked off its March Collectors Auction with over 500 … [Read more...]
Rare Lou Gehrig Pre-Endorsement Bat Up For Auction
Before Lou Gehrig became a baseball icon, he was a promising prospect with the Hartford Senators. A fan favorite, he was dubbed "The Eastern Babe,” indicating that he was the Babe Ruth of the Eastern League, in which the Senators competed. Gehrig would make the permanent jump from the Senators to the Yankees in 1924 (he also had a stint with the Yankees in 1923), but a … [Read more...]
Wally Pipp’s 1923 World Series Champs Pocket Watch Up for Auction
You may know that Wally Pipp’s 1925 headache opened the door for Lou Gehrig to begin his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. What many don’t know is that Pipp, the long-established Yankees first baseman, scouted Gehrig when the latter was starring at Columbia University and suggested the team offer him a contract. He also helped Gehrig with some of the finer … [Read more...]
Notes: Blockchain Sales; Gehrig Letters; Ovie Pucks Bring Big Bucks; Morant Jersey; Phil’s Pulls
Panini’s initial run of cards produced and released through blockchain technology included one big sale: the Kobe Bryant card offered by the company brought $61,714.29 last week. Of the ten one-of-a-kind cards sold on Panini’s website, nine went for more than $1,000 including a dual autographed Ja Morant/Rui Hachimura card that sold for $3,591.85, a Kyler Murray rookie auto … [Read more...]
Personal Letter from Lou Gehrig to His Doctor Coming to Auction
A deeply personal bit of Lou Gehrig memorabilia is coming to auction, providing a rare glimpse into, not the hero of the baseball diamond that was revered by throngs of fans, but rather, a man grappling with medical uncertainty and coming to grips with his ailing health. The item, featured in Heritage Auctions’ Winter Platinum Night Sports Collectibles Catalog Auction, … [Read more...]
1930 Lou Gehrig Payroll Check Coming to Auction
There were probably a lot of Columbia University graduates who were faring much better financially but Lou Gehrig's chosen profession was baseball and by 1930, he was a leader in his chosen field. Gehrig was on his way to another spectacular season as April drew to a close and now a rare, signed payroll check is about to hit the auction block. Heritage Auctions will … [Read more...]
Auction Offers Chance to Go Cruising with a Babe (Uniform)
Babe Ruth’s name “is the most appealing in the game” of baseball, a sportswriter noted in 1938, three years after the Bambino's retirement. The Queen Mary 2 is the Grande Dame of luxury ocean liners. These two giants will share the spotlight for an upcoming auction that will feature the uniform the Bambino wore in 1938 when he was a first-base coach for the Brooklyn … [Read more...]