If you’re in the market for a simple home security system like one that a New Jersey family used for 40 years, expect to pay big bucks. As I reported in previous posts, a baseball bat propped against the front door to brain potential burglars turned out to be a significant Lou Gehrig gamer that was authenticated through a perfect photo match by comparing the wood grain to a photo of Gehrig holding the actual bat – as though it were a finger print. After 46 bids, the bat sold for $437,000, a record price for the Iron’s Horse lumber, in a Love of the Game auction. “I honestly had no prediction,” the auction house owner, Al Crisafulli said. “Before the photo match, I figured $75-100K. Once I found the photo, I had no historical frame of reference, so it was impossible to predict. There were a decent number of bidders, though, which I thought was a good sign.”
The previous record for a Gehrig gamer was $404,000 in 2011, according to the grading service, PSA ProBatFacts. ““The photo match really sealed the deal,” John Taube, the top bat authenticator said. “A few savvy collectors were interested and it was a great bat of a true baseball icon.” But even Taube figured the bat would sell for about $300,000, $137,000 less than it did. Gehrig bats are some of sports memorabilia hobby’s rarest and most in demand, especially those with iron-clad provenance.
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig book-end manager Bob Shawkey at Comiskey Park in 1930. The Batrite logo and... [+]
