A bat that New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig used towards the end of his MLB career has sold for over half a million dollars at an auction. The winning bidder at the online auction bid $715,120 for the piece of baseball history, SCP Auctions announced on Sunday. The bat is a 34-inch, 36-ounce Bill Dickey model Louisville Slugger.
According to the Associated Press, the bat was used in 1938 -- Gehrig's second to last season in Major League Baseball and his last full season. The auction company said the bat may have been used in the 1938 World Series sweep against the Chicago Cubs that season, as well as in the following spring.
The auction for the item concluded on Saturday and, in total, it had 26 bids.
"It's one of the best Lou Gehrig bats ever discovered and, obviously, the provenance is impeccable," the auction house's owner David Kohler told the New York Times.
Before it was auctioned off, the bat was in possession of Earle Combs' family. Like his teammate Gehrig, Combs spent his entire MLB career with the Yankees and is in the baseball hall of fame. Gehrig spent 17 seasons with the Yankees and during his time with the team he was a six-time World Series champion, seven-time All-Star and two-time American League MVP.
Another collectable from the Yankees was also sold at auction. The original Yankee Stadium home plate from 1923 went to the highest bidder, who offered $303,277 for the iconic piece of memorabilia. The plate dates back to the team's first World Series championship win.
