Auctions
Lou Gehrig jersey, World Series bat top $8.4 million auction at Christie’s, Hunt
Lou Gehrig was a baseball legend and an American hero, making his historic memorabilia popular among vintage sports collectors.
The New York Yankees icon was the hero of Christie’s American Greats: Vintage Sports and Hollywood from the Dr. G.B. Espy Collection auction, which generated more than $8.4 million in sales.
Dr. G.B. Espy assembled a wide-ranging, high-end collection over almost 50 years covering a wide cross-section of sports and American popular culture collectibles. An avid athlete and sports lover, he initially collected college football memorabilia before expanding to other sports.
The top seller in the auction was the Yankees pinstripe jersey that Gehrig wore in his final game at Yankee Stadium during the 1939 World Series. It sold for $2.7 million, a record for any Gehrig item.
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Jackie Robinson’s Hall of Fame Induction ring also set a record for a Hall of Fame ring, selling for $693,000, almost three times over its estimate of $250,000.
Another huge surprise was Red Grange’s Chicago Bears jersey, circa 1933-34, which sold for $548,100, five and a half times its $100,000 estimate.
Presented by Christie’s and Hunt Auctions, the live sale and the online auction included more than 400 lots of sports, music and Hollywood memorabilia.
Other tops results included:
• A museum-quality Lou Gehrig professional model Gehrig bat likely used during his final World Series in 1938 sold for $1.197 million, a record for a Gehrig bat.
• Marilyn Monroe’s 1954 United States Department of Defense identification card, signed “Norma Jeane DiMaggio” for $176,400.
• Bill Tilden’s 1920 Wimbledon Trophy for $69,300.
