One of the greatest photographs of Lou Gehrig ever taken appears on the front of his 1961 Topps Baseball card highlighting one of his many career achievements. While all agree that the image is fantastic, we have never seen or heard of an original example of this photograph in the hobby... until now. Offered here for the first time ever fresh out of an archive where it has sat for over 80 years, we offer the aerial masterpiece of Lou Gehrig used to make the 1961 Topps baseball card. Taken around 1937, this photo shows Gehrig from directly above the batters box and captures the Iron Horse as he intentionally holds his follow through and watches the flight of the ball as it sails away. Issued by the International News and stamped on the back, this is a clear and bold original off the glass plate negative which is so clear the individual blades of grass on the ground can be seen with the naked eye! Photo has some light handling wear from being in a newsroom and a tiny rip on the left border that only extends about 1/4 inch but overall it is clean and attractive. While there are probably other examples of this photo out there, this is the only complete one we have ever seen or handled in person and this one sold for $3938 in our December 2016 Premier Auction
Size: 8x10
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 3/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 8/10