Historic baseball collection from rock legend Geddy Lee coming to auction

Geddy Lee is best known as the lead singer, bassist and keyboardist for legendary Canadian rock band Rush. He is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with his signature etched into its walls with other legendary rockers.

But Lee, 70, is also a passionate baseball fan, memorabilia collector and a benefactor of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. A fan of the Detroit Tigers as a kid and later a season ticket holder of the Toronto Blue Jays, he became an avid collector and curator of the national pastime while touring during the 1970s. His office is now a baseball shrine filled with historic treasures, including balls signed by The Beatles and President John F. Kennedy.

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Christie’s and Hunt Auctions are offering nearly 300 historic baseball artifacts in a new auction dubbed Selections from the Geddy Lee Collection and Important Baseball Memorabilia. The live auction opens Dec. 6 with the pieces on display from Dec. 1-5.

Lee’s collection includes hundreds of signed baseballs and other memorabilia spanning baseball history. The highlights include:

• A 1917 Chicago White Sox baseball signed by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.

• A 1942 Negro Leagues baseball signed by the Kansas City Monarchs and Homestead Grays, including Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige.

• A 1965 baseball signed by The Beatles during their legendary Shea Stadium appearance.

• A collection of baseballs signed by U.S. presidents, including John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson.

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• A 1960 Mickey Mantle professional model bat used in the 1960 World Series.

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• A 1908 baseball signed by Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell.

The Christie’s and Hunt Auctions event also includes rare, memorabilia from the personal collection of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, including trophies presented to him in 1914 and 1917.

Other historic baseball memorabilia from private collections include:

• A 1968 Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves jersey photo-matched to his 500^th career home run with an estimated value of $500,000 to $1 million.

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• A Lou Gehrig professional model bat from the New York Yankees’ historic 1927 season.

• Babe Ruth’s 1938 Brooklyn Dodgers road uniform.

• A Lou Gehrig New York Yankees professional model hat from the 1930s.

• A professional model glove signed by Satchel Paige.