Gehrig uniform leading off Heritage lineup Aug. 4

 Published Originally by Auction Central News on Friday, July 29th, 2011.

CHICAGO – Important sports memorabilia, led by Lou Gehrig’s 1934 Tour of Japan game-worn uniform, is set to thrill collectors at Heritage Auctions’ Signature® Sports Collectibles Platinum Auction, taking place Thursday, Aug. 4, in conjunction with the annual National Sports Show in Rosemont, Ill.

LiveAucitoneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The Gehrig uniform is estimated to bring $300,000-plus, and is just the tip of the iceberg in the all-star lineup Heritage has assembled for the auction.

“There are dozens of pieces in this auction that would, individually, be the lead lot on their own in any other auction,” said Chris Ivy, director of Heritage Sports Collectibles. “Needless to say, it’s an issue that we’re happy to have. This is easily one of the finest groupings of material that the hobby has ever seen.”

The 1934 Gehrig Tour of Japan uniform represents what is unquestionably the most significant hobby find of the young decade. Only a handful of uniforms from this famous exhibition trip has been unearthed in the 75 years since Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and about a dozen other American players toured Japan. The Babe's uniform commanding more than $750,000 in a 2005 auction – the highest price ever paid at auction for an exhibition baseball uniform.

The uniform and four other Gehrig items have been consigned by the family of a former girlfriend who remained close to the Gehrigs after Lou’s tragic death in 1941.

Besides the Gehrig Tour of Japan uniform, there’s little doubt that the most coveted of these pieces will be Gehrig’s 1928 New York Yankees World Championship wristwatch, estimated at $20,000-plus.

A masterpiece of Art Deco timepiece design, this Hamilton "Yankee Piping Rock" watch is coveted for more than its relevance to baseball's greatest age/hero. The design is considered the crowning achievement of the period's leading manufacturer of timepieces, and has been reproduced in more recent decades. Watch collectors are aware that the original production was limited only to players and staff of the 1928 Yankees, signifying an original population of less than three dozen. Fewer than five have surfaced.

Other highlights from the Lou Gehrig Collection include a 1934 Tour of Japan team signed cigarette lighter baseball (estimate: $10,000-plus); a 1927 New York Yankees infield signed photograph (estimate: $10,000-plus) and a 1926 New York Yankees team signed baseball (estimate: $8,000-plus).

More Hall of Fame royalty is represented by the 1908 game-worn Boston Red Sox uniform of the legendary Denton T. "Cy" Young, the most prolific winning pitcher to ever take the mound, and for whom modern-day baseball’s highest pitching honor, the Cy Young Award, is named. It carries an estimate of $350,000-plus. Young’s career record of 511 wins is generally considered unassailable and his other records – most career games started at 815 and most complete games at 749 – are not likely to be approached by any pitcher. This is easily the most important Cy Young artifact ever offered at auction.

One of the high points of the Heritage Platinum Auction will certainly be the offering of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson's legendary Black Betsy game-used bat, used throughout the slugger’s career, representing what is inarguably the most famous and important game-used bat of baseball's history. The fact that it never broke, despite the decades of use, is a testament to the strength of the wood from which it is hewed and the incredible skill with which it was wielded. It carries an estimate of $300,000-plus.

In the realm of golf, the name of Robert T. "Bobby" Jones reigns supreme and anything associated with the legendary Grand Slam winner, and creator of Augusta National carries an incredible cachet, as well as a premium price. It is certain then, that when Jones’ personal 1937 Augusta National Green Jacket comes across the block that collectors will take specific note. This jacket, with a $100,000-plus estimate, is arguably the most important Bobby Jones artifact that exists, which puts it in the running for the sport's most important collectible.

A 1952 New York Yankees team signed baseball with signatures from both Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, would normally be an incredibly desirable rarity in and of itself, but the particular ball on offer here was actually kissed by Marilyn and stills bears the lipstick imprint of the legendary starlet. Doubtless, this baseball, with a $20,000-plus estimate, lived a dream shared by countless millions of red-blooded American males, smooched by the definitive blond bombshell at the height of her Hollywood fame.

Further highlights include:

• T206 Honus Wagner baseball card, PSA Authentic, estimate: $250,000-plus.
• 1978 Muhammad Ali's personal "Three Times World Champion" ring, estimate: $50,000-plus.
• 1987 Walter Payton Chicago Bears jersey worn in final regular season game, estimate: $40,000-plus.
• 1967 Green Bay Packers Super Bowl II championship ring presented to Frederick "Fuzzy" Thurston, estimate: $20,000-plus.
• 1875 Prescott & White CDV, Hartford Dark Blues, SGC 80 EX/NM 6, newly discovered example, estimate: $20,000-plus.