Bat of Yankees Legend Lou Gehrig Goes for $1M

A bat used by New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig that dated back to 1924 was sold for $1,025,000 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas this past week.

The auction house initially had the item up for auction in the February lot with a $950,000 reserve.

The bat did not meet the reserve, but Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage, said a private buyer came in after the auction to purchase the item.

"We had been discussing the bat with [the buyer] over several conversations the last couple weeks," Ivy said. "He decided to pull the trigger last week and make the purchase."

Ivy said this bat is the most significant Gehrig bat in the hobby because it is the bat Gehrig sent to Hillerich & Bradsby, who made Louisville Slugger bats when he joined the Yankees in 1924. Gehrig sent it back to the company to use it as a model to make any other bats the company produced for him.

The bat Babe Ruth used to hit his first home run at Yankee Stadium sold in 2004 for $1.3 million, and a game-worn Gehrig jersey in the February lot at Heritage Auctions sold for $870,000.

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