Eighty-four years ago, with Babe Ruth on base, New York Yankee legend Lou Gehrig slammed a three-run homer against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1928 World Series. For years, the ball Gehrig hit has been sitting in the home of a Connecticut woman named Elizabeth Gott, who hopes it will finance her son’s medical school education. When Hunt Auctions offers the ball tomorrow at its All-Star FanFest auction in Kansas City, Mo., it’s predicted to sell for $100,000 to $200,000.
Update: The Lou Gehrig ball sold under the low estimate, for $62,617.
Gehrig connected with the ball off a pitch by Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander, hitting it into the center field bleachers, where a distant relative of Gott’s almost caught the ball. “It should be in the hands of someone that really loves it and has passion for it,” said Gott. “Right now we have passion for my son and his career.” Her 30-year old son, Michael, now in his last year of residency, expressed surprise at the ball’s potential value. “I’m extremely thankful that something so lucky would happen to me, “ he said.
Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
