“Rather fish than play ball – but they don’t pay 35 grand a year for fishing ability” – Lou Gehrig

A 1929 New Yorker profile on Gehrig by Journalist Niven Busch stated that, “Aside from baseball [Gehrig’s] principal amusement is fishing.” That amusement from Gehrig, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, is apparent in this special note.

“To Dot – I bet you can catch more fish in an hour, than I can in a week

Cordially

Lou Gehrig”

The signed note, made out to the consignor’s aunt, is inside an autograph book that the consignor’s grandfather, a fishing guide, had with him when he took Gehrig out on a fishing trip in October of 1937 in Cape Vincent, N.Y, just days after Gehrig hit his final World Series home run en route to winning his fifth of six World Series Championships with the New York Yankees. The page following the Gehrig note is signed by New York Daily News Outdoors Editor, Fred Fletcher, who was also on the October 1937 fishing trip. The weeklong trip with Gehrig was documented in multiple Daily News articles throughout the month of October.

The autograph book is overall in very nice shape, especially considering the age. A photo of Gehrig, a newspaper clipping, and a stamp that appears to be easily removable are all taped to the page with the Gehrig note. The back of the page has a written note explaining who Fred Fletcher is followed up by a handwritten note by Fletcher on the next page.

The autograph book will be featured in our October 25th Sports Card and Memorabilia Auction (Lot 1200). Pre-bidding will open 2 weeks prior to the date of the auction with live-bidding beginning at 10am on October 25th for the 500-lot auction. Click here to check out the preview for the full auction.