LOT #80165 |
Sold on Aug 24, 2024 for: Not Sold
1938 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees Game Worn Jersey, MEARS A8 & Photo Matched!...
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Description
Matched to three photographs of the Iron Horse during the last full season of his streak!
1938 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees Game Worn Jersey, MEARS A8 &
Photo Matched! "I tired mid-season," Lou Gehrig admitted after
the New York Yankees claimed the sixth World Championship of his
remarkable, unflappable tenure. "I don't know why, but I just
couldn't get going again." Though the Iron Horse had posted a stat
line worthy of his seventh All-Star appearance in 1938--.295
average, 114 runs batted in and twenty-nine home runs--the figures
were a significant drop from his 1937 campaign, and the first sign
that a terrible illness had begun work on its fatal task. But the
legendary first baseman had bravely soldiered on, completing his
thirteenth complete regular season without an absence to play all
four games of a World Series sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Gehrig went
four-for-fourteen that October, each hit a single.It has been said that only in adversity can we find true greatness, and it was during that difficult 1938 season that Lou Gehrig most convincingly exhibited his own. While he is properly remembered as one of the premier sluggers in the history of the game, Gehrig's greatest legacy remains his unbreakable will, his unfailing dependability. This remarkable jersey from the 1938 season stands as one of the most emotionally compelling relics we have offered in our two decades of service to the collecting community, encompassing the full breadth of human emotion from elation to despair.
The presented road grey flannel demonstrates the kind of heavy wear one would expect from an athlete whose most celebrated claim to fame was his outrageous, unbroken chain of 2,130 regular season appearances. It is somewhere between possible and likely that the jersey debuted during the 1937 World Series, as the Yankees were such common representatives of the American League in the Fall Classic that the team made a habit of breaking out next season's uniforms in the preceding October. We could likely add 1939 spring training to the resume as well, as it was likewise common practice for the Yanks (and other Major League teams) to wear the previous season's uniforms as they dusted off the winter cobwebs. And, of course, Gehrig played in every regular season and World Series game in 1938 (though he may have worn 1939 uniforms in the 1938 Fall Classic).
The jersey's design is one of the most familiar in the sport, a format to which the franchise has remained faithful for more than a century. "New York" spans the chest in navy felt, with that same fabric forming the sacred number "4" on verso, the first digit ever retired by an American sports franchise. The interior collar is embroidered "L Gehrig" in red thread above a heavily-worn "Spalding" label. A size "46" flag tag is anchored here. Finally, a "38" year identifier is sewn directly into center rear interior tail.
Eagle-eyed collectors will note that the left sleeve is missing the large World's Fair patch worn by the New York City franchises in 1938, but the experts at MEARS have determined (and we have confirmed) that Gehrig broke tradition and didn't wear that patch on this jersey. There is no evidence of its removal, and we have located photography of Gehrig on the road in 1938 without this patch. We suspect that his desire for a jersey with shorter sleeves necessitated this diversion from standard practice. You'll note that this jersey has seams running diagonally from collar to armpit, and in the official 1938 team photograph of the Yankees, only Gehrig wears this style. We cannot see his left sleeve in the image, but we suspect it is this jersey. The armpits have elasticized underarm gussets that took some of the stiffness out of the rather coarse flannel to improve range of motion.
The experts at Resolution Photomatching have linked the garment to three undated images that hone in on an imperfect cut at the interior of the top of the letter "Y" on the chest. The two photographs that supply enough background detail for identification have been determined to have been shot at Sportsman's Park (St. Louis Browns) and Comiskey Park (Chicago White Sox).
The monumentally significant garment diverges from originality only in the replacement of the top two buttons which MEARS believes to be contemporary to Gehrig's wear, and to masterful conservation work at the shoulders to patch holes equivalent in size to approximately three or four United States quarters in surface area. This restoration virtually disappears upon display, as our catalog imagery should confirm. A tiny amount of felt loss at the interior of the rear numeral is only apparent upon close inspection. From any reasonable viewing distance, this jersey presents as well as any on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Certainly this garment would be well-suited to inclusion in that landmark public collection, but this auction will provide entry for one advanced hobbyist to the most exclusive of clubs, providing its new owner with daily inspiration to emulate the brand of brilliance and toughness and humility demonstrated by the man who wore it in competition. LOA from MEARS, A8. LOA from Resolution Photomatching. LOA from Heritage Auctions.
Auction Info
2024 August 23 - 25 Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction #50072 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
August, 2024
23rd-25th
Friday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 42
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.
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