Auctions
Historic Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth signed checks headline new Memory Lane Marketplace
Lou Gehrig was on top of the world in 1936. The New York Yankees legend had just won his second MLB MVP after hitting 49 home runs with 152 RBI to help his team win its fourth World Series.
Gehrig, the All-American boy and one of the most popular players in the game, seemingly had it all.
But there was one thing he didn’t have.
A new car.
So the baseball superstar bought himself a brand-new 1936 Packard convertible.
According to Memory Lane Inc., Gehrig paid for the car with a $2,000 check. The signed check is now up for bid in Memory Lane’s new “I Own it NOW” Marketplace.
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The signed check features a note on the back confirming the purchase and signed with Gehrig’s full “Henry Louis Gehrig” signature.
The check is listed for $37,500—a figure that Memory Lane says is less than the 2026 value of Gehrig’s original payment to Packard Motor Company of New York.
Memory Lane’s new ‘I Own It NOW!” Marketplace features significant sports cards and memorabilia at fixed prices with offers accepted once a listing period expires. The marketplace includes over 100 lots for sale, including championship rings, historic photos and game-worn jerseys. Offers will be accepted on unsold items beginning on March 16.
Also featured in the marketplace is the 1939 Type 1 photo from Gehrig’s famous “Luckiest Man” speech after being diagnosed with ALS.
The sale also includes numerous items from Gehrig’s legendary teammate, Babe Ruth, including a dual-signed trust fund check with a PSA 8.5 autograph grade. According to Memory Lane, the check was made to the account set up by Ruth’s agent, Christy Walsh, to save the “notoriously reckless” Ruth from spending all of his money. It feature’s Ruth's full “George H. Ruth” signature on the front, “G.H. Ruth” on the back, and a signature from Walsh.
There is also an original Type 1 photograph of Ruth from the 1920s taken by photographer Charles Conlon authenticated by PSA and a 1916 Ruth M101-5 Sporting News rookie card graded PSA 4.
Other high-end sports cards on the market include:
• A 1980 Topps Bird/Erving/Johnson rookie card (PSA 9, Auto 10) signed by all three players priced at $100,000.
• A 1955 Topps #123 signed Sandy Koufax rookie (PSA 8, Auto 10).
• 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal Eddie Plank (PSA 3).
• Several rare, vintage unopened boxes are available, including a 1958 Topps Football, 1972-73 Topps basketball, 1972 Topps football and 1974 Topps football.
• Shohei Ohtani game-worn Dodgers jersey.
