Lot # 2509: 1941 Lou Gehrig Day Ticket Stub PSA VG-EX 4

Scarce and extremely desirable ticket stub for the "Lou Gehrig Memorial" ceremony at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1941. Graded VG-EX 4 by PSA, the ticket features a bust-length photo of Gehrig and makes note of the special memorial ceremony scheduled for that day. This is one of the most highly prized of all baseball tickets and one of the very few baseball tickets that is notable for its tremendous display value. Gehrig died on June 2, 1941, just one month prior to the Yankees' scheduled tribute to their former captain on July 4. On that day, between games of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, the Yankees planned to dedicate a monument to Gehrig in center field alongside that of Miller Huggins, who also died prematurely, in 1929. They chose the date because it would have marked the two-year anniversary of Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium, the ceremony at which Gehrig delivered his legendary "Luckiest Man Alive" speech. While all of the preparations were in place that day, the weather did not cooperate. Both games, along with the ceremony, were rained out and rescheduled for Sunday, July 6. Although that historic day certainly belonged to the memory of the "Iron Horse," it is also noteworthy that Joe DiMaggio hit safely in both games of the doubleheader, raising his streak total to 48 straight games. The ticket stub (3-3/8 x 2-1/2 inches) displays minor wear and a small stain on the lower right corner.