Lou Gehrig’s uniform from his final Yankee Stadium appearance has sold for $2.712 million at auction, the most ever paid for a piece of Gehrig Memorabilia.
The uniform, which was worn by Gehrig at Game 2 of the 1939 World Series, was part of an auction of Dr. D.B. Espy’s Collection, presented by Christie’s and Hunt Auctions. The winning bid included a buyer’s premium.
Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — a disease that would later be known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — in 1939 and played only eight games that season before being forced to retire. His then-record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played would end, but he stayed with the Yankees and delivered lineup cards to umpires. The uniform sold at auction was photo-matched by MeiGray Authenticated to Oct. 5, 1939, the last time Gehrig wore a Yankees uniform at home.
He died June 2, 1941.
“The jersey had been originally preserved by a dry cleaner who was tasked with cleaning the uniforms for the [Yankees’ affiliate] Newark Bears,” reads the lot description. “Noticing that Lou Gehrig’s jersey was among those headed for Minor League use[,] the cleaner coveted the final home shirt worn by the Iron Horse and retained it for over 50 years.”
Espy — whom Hunt Auctions president David Hunt called “a pioneering collector of historic memorabilia during the formative years of the medium” — purchased the jersey in 1991 for $115,000. It is not the same jersey Gehrig wore during his “Luckiest Man” speech on July 4, 1939. The whereabouts of that jersey are unknown.
In the same auction, a bat that was described PSA’s John Taube as “very likely” used during Gehrig’s final World Series in 1938 sold for $1.197 million and Jackie Robinson’s Baseball Hall of Fame ring sold for $693,000; both prices included a buyer’s premium.
