Gehrig’s jersey from final Yankees home game sells for $2.7M

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  Dan HajduckyOct 22, 2025, 05:59 PM ET

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  Dan Hajducky is a staff writer for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.

Lou Gehrig’s uniform from his final Yankee Stadium appearance has sold for $2.712 million at auction, the most ever paid for a piece of Gehrig memorabilia.

The uniform, which was worn by Gehrig at Game 2 of the 1939 World Series, was part of an auction of Dr. G.B. Espy’s Collection, presented by Christie’s and Hunt Auctions. The winning bid included a buyer’s premium.

Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — which would later be known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — in 1939 and played only eight games that season before being forced to retire. His then-record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played would end, but he stayed with the Yankees and delivered lineup cards to umpires. The uniform sold at auction was photo-matched by MeiGray Authenticated to Oct. 5, 1939, the last time Gehrig wore a Yankees uniform at home.

He died June 2, 1941.

The uniform worn by Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig at Game 2 of the 1939 World Series — Gehrig’s final appearance at Yankee Stadium — sold for $2.712 million at auction. Courtesy of Christie’s & Hunt Auctions

“The jersey had been originally preserved by a dry cleaner who was tasked with cleaning the uniforms for the [Yankees’ affiliate] Newark Bears,” the lot description reads. “Noticing that Lou Gehrig’s jersey was among those headed for Minor League use[,] the cleaner coveted the final home shirt worn by the Iron Horse and retained it for over 50 years.”

Espy — whom Hunt Auctions president David Hunt called “a pioneering collector of historic memorabilia during the formative years of the medium” — purchased the jersey in 1991 for $115,000. It is not the same jersey Gehrig wore during his “Luckiest Man” speech on July 4, 1939. The whereabouts of that jersey are unknown.

In the same auction, a bat that was described by PSA’s John Taube as “very likely” used during Gehrig’s final World Series in 1938 sold for $1.197 million, and Jackie Robinson’s Baseball Hall of Fame ring sold for $693,000. Both prices included a buyer’s premium.

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