Spring Premium Live and Catalog Auction Ending May 20(1-70) and June 3

Lot #20: 1939 Lou Gehrig All-Star Game Dieges & Clust 10 Karat Presentation Pin Presented To Lou Gehrig

Description

     As the 1939 season began, Lou Gehrig knew something was wrong. His swing had lost all its velocity and his once powerful legs felt as if he was running in sand. Once regarded as the most solid first baseman in the league, Gehrig now missed easy plays. Where he was once the team’s most valuable asset, he now found himself hindering its success. True to his selfless nature, Lou Gehrig took himself out of the line up on May 2, 1939, the first time in a 2130 game stretch that began in 1925.

     Within months, Gehrig was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a little-known, but terminal affliction. His decline would be fast, and as such, Major League Baseball and the Yankees quickly began preparations to honor the beloved Yankee. The first idea was to honor Gehrig at that year’s All-Star Game to be held at Yankee Stadium. However, this was eventually rejected in order to give him his own “day” on July 4, 1939. Gehrig was instead made honorary captain of the American League squad at the All-Star Game, which was the last time he appeared on field at Yankee Stadium, one week after his famous "I am the luckiest man on the face of the Earth" speech.

     To commemorate this bittersweet event Gehrig was presented with this specially engraved press pin. The pin has been beautifully crafted by Dieges & Clust and measures 1-inch square. A diamond has been mounted in each corner and a golden baseball in the center proclaims “New York 1939”. “All Star Game American League” is written inside the enamel base paths. The reverse of the pin is engraved “Lou Gehrig” and is stamped with the "Dieges & Clust 10 Karat" hallmark. The pin shows light wear, most noticeably around the first base area. This pin is unique in that it was not one of the multitude of items donated by Lou’s widow to the Hall of Fame after his death in 1941. Famously, Gehrig had turned all of his World Series rings into a necklace for his wife. Instead, this elegant pin was given to one of the nurses who took care of the Yankee legend as he succumbed to the disease which now bears his name and is the only piece of jewelry ever awarded to Gehrig that is in private hands. The pin had remained in the nurse’s family until her nephew sold it in 1989. Since then the pin has been featured at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and the subject of an article in USA Today. This is a truly stunning piece of baseball history that was specifically created to honor the game’s most beloved hero.

Final Bid (Includes Buyers Premium):$171,500
Minimum Bid:$35,000
Estimate:$100,000+
Number of Bids:14