One of Lou Gehrig's favorite bats fetches more than $1M at auction house
The bat that New York Yankees icon Lou Gehrig liked so much he had copies made has fetched a massive price.
A private buyer parted with $1,025,000 last week at a New York auction house to claim the piece of sports history. The bat initially failed to meet a $950,000 reserve that was set for a February auction. But Heritage Auction’s Chris Ivy told ESPN that the buyer showed up after the auction to claim the bat.
“We had been discussing the bat with (the buyer) over several conversations the last couple weeks,” Ivy said. “He decided to pull the trigger last week and make the purchase.”
What made the bat special?
The bat manufactured by Hillerich & Bradsby has Gehrig’s last name inscribed in block letters and a message from the manufacturer reading “40 oz., Lou Gehrig, 4-22-25,” according to TMZ.
The inscription doesn’t represent the manufacture date. Gehrig used the bat in college and in his early days with the Yankees. That’s the date he sent it back to the factory to use as a model for other bats.
“He sent this one back and said, 'like the specs, I like the length, I like this weight and I like how this bat was created in the factory,'" Ivy told ESPN. “So he sent it back, which is when they dated it on April 22, 1925 and said this is the bat I want you to use to create my future bats.”
Ivy called it “the most significant Gehrig bat” in sports collectibles. He said the previous high price for a Gehrig bat was in the $400,000 range.
It’s not the most valuable piece of Gehrig memorabilia, though. Heritage lists a 1937 game-worn Gehrig jersey that it claims sold for a world record $2.58 million.
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