Christie’s to Auction Lou Gehrig’s Final Yankees Jersey: Estimated $2–4 Million

Here we go again, Yankee fans. Another piece of Bronx history is about to hit the auction block, and this one isn’t just some signed bat or dusty old glove. This is the holy grail of Yankee memorabilia. Lou Gehrig’s 1939 New York Yankees home jersey, photomatched to his final appearance at Yankee Stadium during the World Series, is going up for auction at Christie’s. Estimated to fetch between two and four million dollars. Yeah, you read that right.

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Lou Gehrig’s 1939 Yankees World Series Jersey Up for Auction

Estimated between $2,000,000 and $4,000,000. The Iron Horse’s final home jersey from the 1939 World Series highlights Christie’s American Greats sale at Rockefeller Center.

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Let that sink in for a second. This isn’t just fabric and pinstripes. This is the same jersey Gehrig wore when he stood beside Babe Ruth, when he was quietly saying goodbye to the game and to the fans who loved him like family. This jersey is the physical echo of one of the most powerful moments in sports history. You can feel the weight of it. The man they called the Iron Horse. The legend who never missed a game until his body simply said no more.

Born and raised in Washington Heights, Lou Gehrig was one of us. A local kid who hit a grand slam out of Cubs Park when he was still in high school. Seventeen years old. That’s when the myth began. Columbia University tried to make him an engineer, but destiny had other plans. In 1923, he signed with the Yankees, joined Hartford in the minors, and the rest is baseball scripture. Wally Pipp takes a seat with a headache in 1925, and Lou Gehrig takes his spot. He never gave it back. Two thousand one hundred and thirty consecutive games. No excuses. No off days. Just pure grit.

Fast forward to 1938. Something starts to change. Gehrig’s numbers drop, his power fades, and by 1939, everyone can see it. Sportswriters knew. Teammates knew. The fans knew. The Iron Horse was hurting. When he went 0-for-4 on April 30, 1939, against the Washington Senators, nobody knew it would be his final game as an active player. Two days later, he walked up to manager Joe McCarthy and said, “Joe, I’m not helping this team any.” That was Lou. No ego. No denial. Just honesty. That same day, he delivered the lineup card without his name on it. And when the Detroit announcer told the crowd it was the first time in 2,130 games Lou Gehrig wouldn’t play, the entire stadium fell silent. The Iron Horse had stopped running.

Months later, on July 4, 1939, came the “Luckiest Man” speech. The moment that froze time at Yankee Stadium. Lou stood there in front of sixty thousand fans, sick, frail, but proud. That day, he showed what true strength looks like. And yes, this very jersey—this pinstriped relic now at Christie’s—was part of that era. His last Yankees World Series, 1939. His last time wearing the home whites at the Stadium he helped make sacred.

The story of how this jersey survived is as incredible as the man who wore it. Back in the day, teams would recycle old uniforms for the minors. But a dry cleaner for the Newark Bears, one of the Yankees’ affiliates, noticed Gehrig’s name stitched inside the collar and refused to let it go. He kept it safe for over fifty years. In 1991, it resurfaced and sold for $115,000 to Dr. G.B. Espy, a serious collector who cherished it as his crown jewel. Now, decades later, it returns to the spotlight for Christie’s “American Greats” sale. The same jersey, same Spalding tag, same “NY” on the chest, with that famous number four on the back—Gehrig’s eternal mark on Yankee history.

Let’s talk about photo evidence. This isn’t speculation. The MeiGray Group matched this jersey to colorized video and photographs from Game 2 of the 1939 World Series at Yankee Stadium.

One of those images shows Gehrig smiling with Babe Ruth beside him.

Another shows him staring out from the dugout, eyes heavy, like he knew the chapter was closing. That picture alone has become one of the most iconic shots in baseball history. And this jersey? It’s the one on his back in that exact moment.

Dr. Espy passed away last year, and his collection is a time capsule of American greatness. Sports, movies, music—it’s all there. But make no mistake, this jersey is the headliner. When the gavel drops at Rockefeller Center on October 22, it’ll be more than a sale. It’ll be a tribute. A chance for someone to hold a piece of the Yankee soul in their hands.

Think about what this uniform represents. Six World Series titles. Two MVP awards. The 1934 Triple Crown. A man who never asked for sympathy, never looked for headlines, and when the end came, faced it with dignity that shook the world. Lou Gehrig didn’t just wear the pinstripes—he defined them. You can’t talk about Yankee pride, history, or tradition without saying his name.

Two to four million? Honestly, that feels cheap. You can’t put a price on the legacy of Lou Gehrig. This isn’t memorabilia. It’s a monument.

Lou Gehrig’s final Yankees jersey. One last reminder that legends never die—they just leave behind the fabric of greatness.