Source: Marty Appel Public Relations
Yankee Immortal Road Jersey Traced To 1933-34, Peak Gehrig Seasons
Golden Valley, MN, July 18, 2005 – A New York Yankees road jersey worn by baseball immortal Lou Gehrig in the 1933-34 period will be auctioned by Vintage Authentics next month.
It will be part of a remarkable auction that also includes the Honus Wagner bat used to fashion the first signature Louisville Slugger, and complete runs of game used bats from all members of the 500 home run and 3,000 hit clubs.
The auction will conclude on Thursday, August 11, but online bidding will begin July 22.
Attention is certain to be high for the Gehrig jersey, because game used historic jerseys have been incredibly hot in the auction market recently; Gehrig is one of the most coveted names in collecting, and Yankee uniforms from that era are scarce. (Many went to the minor leagues where names were removed and they were essentially “worn out.”) A Babe Ruth road jersey from the same era recently went at auction for $944,000.
Vintage Authentics has gone to great lengths, through authenticators and photographic evidence, to determine that the uniform conforms to 1933-34 usage. Due to the fact that players of that day were only given a couple jerseys to wear during the year, it is very possible that this could be the jersey that Lou Gehrig wore during the 1934 All-Star Game, when Carl Hubbell struck out five consecutive future Hall of Famers. Gehrig won the Triple Crown and the American League MVP award in 1934 at age 31, hitting .363 and reaching a career high 49 home runs with 165 RBIs. In 1933, he batted .334 and participated in the first All-Star Game.
It is also likely the uniform Gehrig is seen wearing on the famous sheet music “I Can’t Get to First Base With You.”
“L. Gehrig” is chain-stitched in red inside the collar of the Spalding-manufactured jersey.
In addition to the Wagner bat, and the 500 HR, 3000 Hit club bats, the auction will include “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s 1917-1920 game used signature model Louisville Slugger bat, Rogers Hornsby 1928 game used road flannel, Joe DiMaggio’s game used 1940’s road flannel (year undetermined, but cannot rule out possibility of it being the uniform he wore when his 56 game hitting streak ended), and Roberto Clemente’s game used 1970 jersey.
The auction will culminate on Thursday, August 11, 2005, at 10 PM EDT. Bids can be placed via phone, fax (763-208-2890), and email. (staff@vintageauthentics.com) Visit www.vintageauthentics.com or call 866-304-3090 for more information.
Vintage Authentics is a sports memorabilia auction company based in Golden Valley, MN. Steve Jensen, Mark Redmond and Ryan Guldberg are the founders, partners and co-CEOs.
