But in that elite brotherhood memorialized beyond the center field fence of the new Stadium, Lou Gehrig commands a certain reverence that even the Babe, the Clipper and the Mick cannot. Gehrig had been the antithesis of the prima donna athlete, quietly brilliant in the shadow of the game's greatest figure, unfailing in his fidelity to his team and the simple dignity of his labors. For fourteen seasons, Gehrig never called in sick, playing through broken bones and concussions which many today believe served a significant role in his fatal illness.

Taken far too soon, and perhaps never fully appreciated during his life, Gehrig provided the hobby with just a tiny fraction of the single signed spheres produced by his rotund slugging cohort. Ruth singles outnumber Gehrigs by a factor of one hundred, and here we find a representation that stands near the top of that thin population. Applied to an Official American League baseball with solid red stitching, ensuring a production date between 1935 and Gehrig's 1939 exit from the public eye, the black fountain pen signature registers with remarkable 9/10 boldness. The ball exhibits apparent game use, with its requisite soiling quite clearly predating the autograph's application. Did it see action in one of the last games in that unbroken chain of 2,130? The answer, almost assuredly, is yes. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication.