A 1915 Eddie Plank single-signed baseball was one of many spheres that sold over the $100,000 mark; this one sailed to $228,000.
DALLAS – The most decorated franchise in baseball history continued its winning ways in Heritage Auctions’ “Yankee Legends” sale, emphatically closing out annual auction sales in excess of $60 million for the sports collectibles category of Heritage Auctions.
Lou Gehrig’s 1931 Yankees contract commanded $216,000, one of the top lots of the auction.
Key Yankees documents broke the bank in the December 10 auction, with Lou Gehrig’s 1931 Yankees contract commanding $216,000 and Derek Jeter’s 1992 scouting report – the earliest article of Yankees ephemera relating to the sure-fire member of the 2020 Hall of Fame class – finding a new owner at $102,000.
Autographed baseballs, the hobby’s bedrock foundation, set exciting new auction prices – a welcome indicator of the market’s enduring strength. Five signed spheres soared past the $100,000 mark in spirited online bidding, most notably a $228,000 result for a 1915 Eddie Plank single-signed baseball, second only to Heritage’s mark of $388,375 for a PSA/DNA Mint+ 9.5 Babe Ruth single-signed ball sold in 2012. Fellow Dead Ball Era legend “Shoeless Joe” Jackson followed close behind on a multi-signed sphere that commanded more than $171,000.
“This has been the busiest period in our history,” Chris Ivy, director of sports collectibles at Heritage Auctions said of the months spent in preparation for this special three-auction sequence. “It’s gratifying to see all that hard work pay off. To see confirmation that the market can absorb this high volume of elite material.”
Mickey Mantle’s game-used material also registered multiple six-figure results, with his 1965 game-used fielder’s glove bringing $144,000.
Mickey Mantle game-used material also registered multiple six-figure results, with a 1951 rookie model garnering $168,000, his 1960 World Series gamer drawing $108,000, and his 1965 game-used fielder’s glove bringing $144,000.
Other notable results include a 1926 New York Yankees team-signed baseball from the Lou Gehrig Collection, the finest example known, that sold at $120,000. Bringing the same final price, was a 1927 NY Yankees team-signed baseball.
A 1946-47 Babe Ruth single-signed baseball, sold at $108,000, and another single-signed ball, this one by Jackie Robinson in the 1960s, brought $96,000.
All prices include the buyer’s premium. For further information, www.ha.com or 877-437-4824.
