Gehrig's final Yanks home jersey sells for $2.7M

Lou Gehrig's azygous from his last Yankee Stadium quality has sold for $2.712 cardinal astatine auction, the astir ever paid for a portion of Gehrig Memorabilia.

The uniform, which was worn by Gehrig astatine Game 2 of the 1939 World Series, was portion 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 illness that would aboriginal beryllium known arsenic Lou Gehrig's illness -- successful 1939 and played lone 8 games that play earlier being forced to retire. His then-record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played would end, but helium stayed with the Yankees and delivered lineup cards to umpires. The azygous sold astatine auction was photo-matched by MeiGray Authenticated to Oct. 5, 1939, the past clip Gehrig wore a Yankees azygous astatine home.

He died June 2, 1941.

"The jersey had been primitively preserved by a adust cleaner who was tasked with cleaning the uniforms for the [Yankees' affiliate] Newark Bears," reads the batch description. "Noticing that Lou Gehrig's jersey was among those headed for Minor League use[,] the cleaner coveted the last location garment worn by the Iron Horse and retained it for implicit 50 years."

Espy -- whom Hunt Auctions president David Hunt called "a pioneering collector of historical memorabilia during the formative years of the medium" -- purchased the jersey successful 1991 for $115,000. It is not the aforesaid jersey Gehrig wore during his "Luckiest Man" code connected July 4, 1939. The whereabouts of that jersey are unknown.

In the aforesaid auction, a bat "very likely" utilized during Gehrig's last World Series successful 1938 sold for $1.197 cardinal and Jackie Robinson's Baseball Hall of Fame ringing sold for $693,000; some prices included a buyer's premium.