Lot Essay
Shortly after discovering he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig removed himself from the Yankees lineup on May 2, 1939. On July 4, the Yankees honored Gehrig with an incredible on field celebration attended by teammates, former colleagues, and dignitaries alike. It was on this day that Gehrig delivered his famed "Luckiest Man" speech. In his remarks, Gehrig expressed concern not for his own well-being, but for his team, his teammates, and his wife, concluding with, "When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know. So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for..." His humility in the face of such an insurmountable adversity was regarded by his peers as virtually immortal. Fitting for a man of Gehrig's integrity, the "Iron Horse" succumbed to the horrid disease on June 2, 1941, at 10:10 p.m., sixteen years to the day after he had first replaced Wally Pipp as first baseman for the New York Yankees. The model by which Gehrig played the game, and more importantly, lived his life, is a standard that even many of the greatest players in history have not achieved. It is for those reasons that treasured pieces of Lou Gehrig's equipment garner such passionate interest from the collecting public. Offered is an exceptional Lou Gehrig professional model hat worn by Gehrig as a member of the New York Yankees. Classic Yankees navy blue hat proudly displays its original embroidered white "NY" logo across the front. Interior of the hat retains its original leather headband with A.G. Spalding Bros. manufacturer's impressed stamping. "L.Gehrig" is chain stitched into the leather band with appropriate patination to a light golden yellow. The hat shows tremendous usage including interior perspiration toning/puckering (forehead area in particular) and appropriate light color fading to the exterior from sunlight exposure. The soft composite bill presents in superb original condition free of any commonly found tears or stitching damage. Very small one centimeter section of the interior leather headband is missing from the back of head area possibly to remove a manufacturing imperfection of some type that was bothering Gehrig. The offered hat was believed to have originated from the personal collection of former actor Earl Benham who later became a tailor. The hat descended to his son James and was referenced in a 1992 letter that is since missing but corroborated in the MEARS Authentication letter. Game used hats dating to the 1920-30s era are incredibly rare with examples worn by Hall of Fame players rarely offered for public acquisition. In comparison to the small population of surviving Gehrig game hats this specimen is unquestionably rated near or at the top with regard to condition grade. Includes LOA from MEARS Authentication: EX