This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/21/2006.
After winning the American League pennant in both 1921 and 1922, the 1923 Yankees went on to defeat the crosstown rival Giants to win their first World Series. It was a fitting end to a season that saw the opening of the Bronx Bombers' first ballpark that they could really call their own, Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth, who the Yanks had acquired from Boston, came into his own in "the house that Ruth built," belting three homers in the Fall Classic. 1923 also saw the debut of the next Yankees legend, Lou Gehrig. This 20" wide x 16" high team photo of the 1923 New York Yankees has been mounted to Masonite and holds a unique place in Yankees history. For decades it has been hanging outside the Yankees locker room in Yankee Stadium, inspiring countless heroes in their pursuit of the inimitable pinstripe excellence. As the players would depart the locker room on their way to the field, custom had it that they would rub their thumbs on the faces of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in this photo, hoping that their good luck would "rub off," and in a way it has. The photo is in VG-EX condition with surface wear and minor paper loss, with Ruth's and Gehrig's heads showing heavy rubbing and thumb prints from the countless hands that aspired to reach for and to touch greatness. The outside edges have remnants of blue paint as a result of being affixed to the walls in Yankee stadium. A truly staid and contemplative piece that has been touched by the fingers of history.