The jersey New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig wore at his final home game will be auctioned in New York next month when it is expected to realise as much as $4 million.
The 1939 pinstriped, home shirt is the star item in the American Greats: Vintage Sports and Hollywood from the Dr. G.B. Espy Collection auction at Christie’s on October 22.
Lou Gehrig is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He won six World Series during his 17 seasons with the Yankees, playing in a then unprecedented 2,130 consecutive games.
Lou Gehrig in a photomontage showcasing his abilities for the New York Yankees. His durability earned him the nickname “Iron Horse” and his number 4 was the first to be permanently retired by any US baseball side.
He is also legendary for his courage in the face of the illness that ended that run. Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neuromuscular illness sometimes called “Lou Gehrig’s disease” in America.
The jersey is being sold from the collection of late Atlanta doctor Goodman Basil ‘G. B.’ Espy, a lifelong collector who maintained an extensive museum in his home, including what may have been the largest private collection of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia in the world.
The sale includes 454 lots.
Dr Espy’s interests in sports and Hollywood collide most dramatically in the 1955 final divorce settlement between Marilyn and NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio. It is expected to sell for between $5,000 and $7,000.
The Gehrig shirt carries an estimate of $2 million to $4 million. It has been photomatched to images of the NY Yankees’ second game in the World Series of 1939 on October 5, 1939.
As the Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Gehrig wore their home shirt for the final time, this time as a non-playing captain, no longer fit enough to take the field with bat or ball in hand.
Sports memorabilia is a buoyant market. In 2024, a Babe Ruth Yankees shirt worn for the celebrated 1932 World Series “Called Shot” game sold for $24 million. In 2019 a 1937 Gehrig jersey was auctioned for $2.5 million, a record for the player that seems likely to tumble next month.
