Tiger Stadium auction draws $192K

DETROIT (AP) -- An online auction of a collection of Tiger Stadium memorabilia drew about $192,729, not including seats from the former home of the Detroit Tigers that are being sold at a fixed price.

The most expensive bid in the auction, which ended Saturday, was $4,025 for a piece of a fence around a light tower hit by Reggie Jackson's home run in the 1971 All-Star game, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The fence piece came with a photo of the stadium and a Jackson baseball card.

Other top-selling items included $2,000 for Al Kaline's locker, $3,800 for a 1968 World Series banner and $900 for the home dugout urinal. About 20 items didn't draw bids, including some lockers and a whirlpool bath from the clubhouse.

"You never know what the people are going to find interesting," said Dan Rosenthal, chief operating officer for St. Louis-based Schneider Industries, which is handling the memorabilia sale for the city of Detroit.

Thousands of seats from the stadium are being sold separately. As of Saturday afternoon, about 6,000 pair had sold, bringing in $1.7 million. The city will get a cut after the cost of shipping and removal is deducted.

Some are fighting for something to be done with the historic venue. A nonprofit group has until Monday to submit plans on saving part of the stadium. In the meantime, preparations to tear down at least part of the crumbling ballpark have started.

Tiger Stadium has been empty since Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch moved the ballclub to Comerica Park in 2000. The city plans to use proceeds from the auction to defray the costs of demolition.