A hobby fresh 1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig Rookie Card sold for $387,257, the finest Walter Johnson single-signed baseball netted $315,426, and Gehrig’s handwritten high school notebook with more than 20 “Gehrig” signatures sold for $193,644 in the Lelands 2023 Spring Classic Auction, which closed on April 22, 2023.
The Lou Gehrig Exhibits rookie sold here is a PSA VG-EX+ 4.5. A total of 43 of these Gehrig rookies have been graded by PSA and this example is Pop 1 with just nine graded higher.
The rare Walter Johnson single-signed baseball sold here has been graded 8 overall by PSA, and is the highest graded example known. Circa 1929, the baseball was featured on “Antiques Roadshow.”
The Gehrig high school notebook sold here features 30 pages of handwritten notes and 22 “Gehrig” signatures. These are almost certainly the earliest-known Gehrig signatures in the hobby, dating approximately three years prior to his 1923 MLB debut with the Yankees.
The auction also featured the only known Roberto Clemente 1955 MLB debut ticket stub ($121,334), and the Dec. 26, 1919 promissory note from the Yankees to the Red Sox as part of the Babe Ruth sale ($90,061).
Additional highlights included Ray Bourque’s 1991 Penguins Stanley Cup championship ring ($67,562), a Pete Rose original limited edition silkscreen by Andy Warhol ($48,712), a 1951 Hank Aaron handwritten and signed questionnaire ($34,619), a 1972 Jim Palmer Orioles signed game-worn jersey ($24,025), and a Mickey Mantle 1952 signed PSA Type 1 photo ($22,882).
For the full results of the Lelands 2023 Spring Classic Auction, visit https://lelands.com.
ABOUT LELANDS
Established in 1985, Lelands is the world’s first sports memorabilia and card auction house, and the premier appraisers and authenticators in the entire sports hobby. Its founder, the late Josh Leland Evans, was a pioneer in the field and acknowledged by his peers as the most knowledgeable figure in sports memorabilia. Renowned in his own right, Evans’s long-time partner Michael Heffner continues Lelands’ four decade tradition of personal customer service and maximizing results for clients. Lelands has handled many of the largest landmark auctions, achieving world-record prices for countless cards and iconic memorabilia including a Tom Brady rookie card ($3.1 million), Babe Ruth’s 1927 Yankees World Series ring ($2.09 million), Ruth’s 1919 “Curse of the Bambino” signed contract ($2.3 million), and a 1920 Ruth Yankees jersey ($4.5 million). For more information, visit https://lelands.com.
