Gehrig Bat Nears $150K, Play Ball Set at $118K With One Week Left

In baseball, October (and sometimes into November) is when the big games are played. So it’s appropriate in its October Legends auction that Goldin Auctions is offering some amazing artifacts and card sets.

Live now and running through Nov. 1 at www.GoldinAuctions.com, collectors will have the opportunity to bid on more than 400 game-used items, 40 championship rings and awards, dozens of historical sports documents and hundreds of lots of rare cards.

Headlining the trove of game-used memorabilia is a Lou Gehrig “small signature” bat from 1936-38. Graded PSA GU-9, the bat is one of the coveted Hillerich & Bradsby models rarely offered at auction, as only seven were ever produced. Bidding is approaching $150,000 with more than one week left.

Another treasure from a baseball legend is the 1959-60 Sandy Koufax fielder’s glove, photo-matched and from the man Koufax gave the glove to more than 50 years ago.
A few of the other rare game-used items include a 1955 Roberto Clemente rookie bat graded PSA 9 and an 1895-1900 Princeton Tigers football jersey believed to be the earliest known football jersey in existence.

The auction also offers a dozen lots with historical Pete Rose documents and memorabilia, such as his 1969 BBWA Sam Rice Award, 1985 N.L. All-Star hand-signed and inscribed game-used bat, the file copy of his final contract with the Reds, a collection of endorsement contracts, cancelled checks, business documents and more.

For collectors who want a piece of their favorite championship team, the auction offers an incredible selection of nearly 30 championships rings including 1975 and ’76 Cincinnati Reds, 1996 and ’98 Yankees, Super Bowl XVIII L.A. Raiders, Super Bowl XLII N.Y. Giants player ring and a 1978 Reggie Jackson Yankees Word Series ring (a second ring he ordered in 1978 and the one he wore as he kept the original in a safe).

There are also some impressive cards in the sale, including the first known 1917 Joe Jackson M101-6 Felix Mendelsohn card, graded SGC 1.5.

“I have sold thousands of unique and rare collectibles over the past three decades, but there is something especially exciting about the first sale of a lost treasure from a historic player like Jackson,” said Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions.

A fantastic find is The Cambridge Collection – a group of 2,200 19th century baseball cards that were stored in two albums. This collection includes more than 250 baseball cards, along with a wide assortment of cards representing a variety of different subjects. The baseball card portion of the collection is dominated by 170 Old Judge baseball cards from the late 1800s. In addition to the Old Judge cards, it also includes three rare Gypsy Queen cards of Hall of Famers Roger Connors, Buck Ewing and Tim Keefe.

Here’s a look at some of the other highlights:

For more information on this sale, visit www.goldinauctions.com or call (856) 767-8550.