This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/8/2023
Lou Gehrig has one foot on the dugout steps, pondering the game ahead in this Acme Newspaper Type I Original 7" x 9" photograph. The image of "The Iron Horse" is clear and concise while the reverse displays the Acme Newspaper stamp. The Baseball Centennial patch is clearly visible on his sleeve, which was worn by Major League teams only in 1939. Gehrig played only eight games that season, posting just four hits in 33 at-bats, having posted superstar numbers the previous season by any standard but, for him, representing a significant dropoff from the prior season, perhaps a foreshadowing of the illness that would soon befall him. Other than a pinhole in the left and right border, the photo is fresh and precise, capturing Gehrig as the true leader of the New York Yankees while grooming up-and-coming Joe DiMaggio to take the throne in the coming years. DiMaggio went on to win the American League batting title (he'd repeat as champ the next year) and earn the first of three AL MVP awards in 1939. A wonderful piece of American history, and a frozen moment of triumph and tragedy for one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a Major League diamond. Authenticated and slabbed by PSA/DNA, with an accompanying LOA.