And now available for the subscriber's consideration is this Lou Gehrig single signed baseball. The medium holding this autograph is an interesting study in itself. It's a commercial model baseball made by Goldsmith and the design of their stamped logo seems to date to the 1920s (though this determination, without further research, is speculative). Suffice it to say that the materials and manufacture of this ball are primitive - a wonderfully grassroots medium to receive such a signature of renown.
That he signed this ball on a side panel is no surprise. Gehrig plied the game, through most of his career, in the shadow of Ruth. As such, he routinely demurred in claiming the sweet spot to place his identity - even when he was the sole signatory. Gehrig's social chemistry was quite unlike that of Ruth. The Babe was high-energy, and he welcomed the responsibility of baseball's premier ambassador. Gehrig, on the other hand, left the business of promotion to those better suited than himself - often to the point of sullen withdrawal. He wasn't belligerent with the public, but then, he didn't volunteer autographs either.
This particular Lou Gehrig signing is exceptional. It's been reviewed by PSA/DNA and determined worthy of trong>NM-MT 8. (The ball, we should add, they graded EX 5 - ultimately yielding an aggregate grade of NM 7). But there's a subjective consideration here that transcends PSA's cold numbers. Lou Gehrig autographs, like the man he was, tend to be unimposing - daring not to risk attention. This autograph, uncharacteristically, is bold, conspicuous and dimensionally inordinate - one that's abundantly equal to its professional assessment.
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