Description

1925 Exhibits Lou Gehrig Rookie PSA VG 3. "Although Hartford watches Gehrig go with regret," reported the Hartford Courant on August 30, 1924, "Local fans on the whole are delighted to see him make his way to the big show and will pull for him to develop into a genuine big leaguer." For the better part of two seasons the stocky first baseman had seen his fanbase swell at the Hartford Senators home park of Clarkin Field, where his prodigious home run clouts had earned him the nickname, "the Eastern Babe," after the Eastern League in which Hartford competed. In 504 plate appearances in 1924 prior to that telephone call from the Bronx, Gehrig had launched thirty-seven round-trippers while batting a sizzling .369 and slugging nearly one hundred points better than the next closest Eastern Leaguer.

While Gehrig did enjoy a brief, late-season debut with the 1923 World Championship Yankees, and ten more appearances with the 1924 edition, it was in 1925 that the Iron Horse was fully released from the Bronx paddock, beginning on June first of that season a consecutive games streak bested only once in baseball history. The offered relic faithfully honors its master's theme of durability, celebrating its centennial with just common surface and corner wear to report. Most postcard-sized cards of this era will have some degree of creasing, but this specimen has avoiding that common fault. It's a particularly fine example at its PSA VG 3 grade.

Guide Value or Estimate: $100,000 - up.