Most current Yankee fans remember nine years ago, when the “old” Yankee Stadium was torn down and the new, modern Stadium was built across the street. But, older, hardcore Yankee fans remember the “old, old” stadium, built in 1923, host to 19 Yankee World Series titles and where Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle used to roam the vast greens and browns of their diamond and dominate their competition. There was never a franchise and team so synonymous with each other than the New York Yankees and the venerable Yankee Stadium.

      However, this character and championship driven stadium was in need of a facelift, and in 1973, the Stadium was reduced to its shell and given the renovation of a lifetime, complete with luxury boxes, more comfortable seating, and generously larger player locker room areas, the area players spend the most time in when at the Stadium. One thing missing from this renovation was the original player tiles, which used to “hang” on the wall outside the players locker room of the “old, old” Yankee Stadium – known as Yankee Stadium 1. These tiles were actually embedded in the walls, and were part of the foundation of the Stadium, just as much as the original steel shell, infield dirt and the liniment long time clubhouse man used to use on the sore bodies of Ruth, Gehrig et al.

      We at Goldin Auctions have the honor of offering these original tiles which hung outside the Yankee Stadium locker room for years prior to that renovation of "The House That Ruth  Built". These porcelain tiles measure 10.5 inch x 31 inch visible area under the professional framing used to help preserve these pieces. We have the original tiles of Yankee legends and Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Lou Gehrig. Each is framed to a dimension of 18.5 x 38.25 inches. These items did hang outside the Yankee locker, scarcely seen by the adoring public, but always seen by the men who played the game for love….and the World Series winning paychecks. And there were lots of checks cashed back then! None other than long time Yankee shortstop Gene “Stick” Michael has verified the existence of these player tiles. These are truly one-of-a-kind items from the original Yankee Stadium, and are worthy of display in Cooperstown.

      This Joe DiMaggio ceramic player tile once hung outside the Yankee player locker room for years before they were removed during the original Stadium’s renovation in the 1970s. Framed to a dimension of 18.5 x 38.25 inches, the visible area of the tile measures 10.5 x 31 inches.

      Text states, “Joe DiMaggio. With the Yankees 1936-51. The “Yankee Clipper,” one of the all-time greats, accepts his nomination into baseball’s Hall of Fame. In his 16 years with the Yankees, DiMaggio set a lifetime batting average and hit 361 home runs. He will always be remembered for his 1941 record of hitting safely in 56 consecutive games – a mark that has never been surpassed.” The tile has various areas of cracks, similar to the fine crazing which occurs on vintage porcelain. From the words and dating on this piece, it appears this tile was likely created for or right about when DiMaggio entered the Hall of Famer in 1956. One of the cracks slightly affect the “J” on the signature, indicating the cracks occurred before the item was signed in the early 1980s. Attached is a 8 x 10 photo of the beautiful DiMaggio follow through, but the actual ceramic tile is signed “Joe DiMaggio” in black Sharpie. Full LOA from JSA (Y98736) for the signature.

      This is a one-of-a-kind Joe DiMaggio display piece which once hung outside the Yankee player locker room in the original Yankee Stadium.

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