Nicknamed the Iron Horse for his endurance, Lou Gehrig spent his entire career with the New York Yankees. He did not miss a single game from June 1925 to April 1939. Alongside his exuberant teammate Babe Ruth, the quiet strong man embodies the enthusiasm of the play.

The retirement of Babe Ruth in 1935 increases the attention of the supporters to Lou Gehrig. In 1936 Lou even participates in a casting to replace Johnny Weissmuller in the role of Tarzan the Ape Man. On the field, 1936 and 1937 are great years with two consecutive victories of the Yankees in the World Series.

Around that time, players usually wore two home jerseys and two road jerseys per year. After the season it was customary to give the uniforms to a training club for young players where it was modified as needed.

A jersey game used by Lou Gehrig in 1937 and afterwards modified in a farm club was sold for $ 870K including premium by Heritage on August 19, 2017. Its lower grade A6.5 by MEARS was outweighed by a historical appeal : it was matched with the photo used as a model for the Gehrig Monument at the Yankee Stadium Monument Park.

In June 2018 SCP reported that they had achieved the private sale of a road jersey of Lou Gehrig, photo-matched with two games from August 1937. Escaping the nursery clubs, it had been presented to a friend by George Weiss, general manager of the Yankees, and had been kept by the family. The 2018 price has not been disclosed.

The matching had been done by Resolution Photomatching, considering that the alignment to the seam and buttons of the stitched Y beginning the word YORK is different for each jersey.

The same jersey is estimated $ 2M for sale by Heritage in Dallas on August 17, lot 56059. A document demonstrating the photo-matching in the press release prepared in 2018 by Resolution Photomatching is included in the catalog of Heritage and the original provenance is also with George Weiss. It is graded A9 by MEARS and Excellent by SGC, meaning that the only changes from the Spalding model are consistent with the known habits of the player.

Despite his sensational success in the production of sports cars, the track remains the main goal of Enzo Ferrari. However, after the victory of John Surtees in 1964, the Formula One world championships of constructors and drivers escape sustainably his Scuderia.

Reasons for these issues were varied : funding difficulties, poor selection of some drivers, difficulty in developing a competing engine against the Ford Cosworth. In 1969 40% of Ferrari was sold to the FIAT group.

Agnelli is impatient. In 1973 he forces Enzo Ferrari to share his decisions with a young manager, Luca di Montezemolo, who cancels some blunders. Mauro Forghieri returns to his position as technical director. Back in the Scuderia, Clay Regazzoni makes Niki Lauda hired in 1974.

Forghieri had designed the Ferrari 312B in 1971. In 1975 its evolution 312T finally gives the supremacy to the Scuderia, thanks to a transversal gear box which improves the distribution of the masses. The two 312Ts driven in that year by Lauda and Regazzoni in the Grand Prix cumulate pole positions and wins. Ferrari and Lauda are world champions. Three other cars had been built.

Like many models of that period, the 312T is ephemeral. Obsolete in 1976 after a change in the rules for prohibiting the spectacular air box behind the cockpit, it is replaced by the 312T2.

On August 16 at Pebble Beach, Gooding sells a 312T raced by Lauda in 1975. It began its career by winning the Silverstone Trophy, which is not counted in the world championship. Qualified five times in pole position in the Grand Prix of the championship, it won in France.

This car is estimated $ 6M, lot 031. Here is the link to the press release. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.

Until 1907 Canadian coins were minted in Birmingham. This activity is refocused in Ottawa in 1908. The highest denomination, which was 50 cents since 1870, becomes 1 dollar by the Canadian Currency Act of 1910.

King Edward VII died in May 1910. The first Canadian silver dollars will be for 1911 with the identification and portrait of his successor George V. The tools and dies are prepared in London. The Royal Mint also makes a very small undocumented number of specimens. A demonstration coin in lead and two silver coins have survived.

The introduction of this new denomination does not really interest the Canadians. The first and fully different circulated silver dollar will be a commemorative issue in 1935. The promotional lead coin was discovered in 1977 in the premises of the Department of Finance. It was untouched in its original parcel.

The earliest known 1911 silver dollar was found by a dealer in 1960, possibly from the family of a previous Mint Master in London. Graded SP 65 by PCGS, it was sold for $ 690K including premium by Heritage on January 13, 2003. Now certified SP 64, also by PCGS, it is estimated $ 500K for sale by Heritage in Chicago on August 15, lot 31339.

The specimen for sale is the only one in private hands. The other silver dollar had been identified later by the same clever merchant in the collections of the Royal Mint Museum in London. It has been transferred for a permanent loan at the National Currency Collection in Ottawa.

The other Canadian denominations of 1911 display a curiosity : the qualification Dei Gra for Dei Gratia of the title of the king is voluntarily omitted. The dollars are the only pieces that escaped this initiative, since they had been prepared in London for the technological transfer. This eviction of God does not please the public : Dei Gra will come back in the following year on the Canadian coinage.

Established in Milan, Isotta Fraschini offers a wide range of cars, with innovative solutions. Their participation in competitions brings prestige to the brand from 1905 in Italy and as early as 1908 in America.

The Tipo KM is revealed in 1910. With its 10.6 liter engine, it is one of the most powerful cars of its time, developing 120 hp at 1,600 rpm with a chain transmission. It is also the first to use a four-wheel braking system. 50 Tipo KM are built. 3 survive. A 1913 Four Seat Torpedo Tourer was sold for $ 1.5M including premium by Bonhams on August 15, 2008.

The Indianapolis 500-mile race was created in 1911. Its very high prize money is luring manufacturers and drivers alike. In 1913 Isotta Fraschini decides to participate. The KM exceeds the volume authorized in this competition and the TM with its 6.2 liter engine is not optimized. The brand is developing the Tipo IM with a 7.2 liter engine, developing 135 hp at 2,350 rpm.

Six IMs are built. Three of them are ready just in time for Indy. Their development had been disrupted by a strike at the factory and they were all stopped during the race by mechanical issues.

One of these three cars is modified to reinforce the faulty tank, without leaving the USA. Its participation in 1914 Indy ended with a dramatic spinout in which it ejected the pilot Ray Gilhooley and his mechanic without hurting them before landing on its four wheels. This high-flying figure is then called a gilhooley.

Its first private owner died of pneumonia at the age of 20. The car is locked in the garage for forty years by his inconsolable parents. It has later maintained through a smart restoration a very good original condition including the frame, the engine, the gearbox and much of the bodywork in its 1914 configuration .

It is estimated $ 3M for sale by Gooding at Pebble Beach on August 16, lot 026. Here is the link to the press release. Its spectacular state of operation is demonstrated on the video shared by the auction house. Only one other Tipo IM is surviving.

The abdication of Edward VIII on December 11, 1936 comes at the worst time for the monetary calendar : the British Royal Mint had already begun preparing the 1937 dies with his effigy.

At that time a shortage happens on three Canadian coins. For these 1 cent, 10 cents and 25 cents, it is indeed impossible to display the name and portrait of the resigning king, and the availability of dies identifying his successor is not yet scheduled.

For these three denominations, the Royal Canadian Mint prepares the first dies for the 1937 production by reusing the 1936 design with the name and effigy of the late King George V. The date of 1936 is also reused : the mark of 1937 cannot be suitable for this king who died in January 1936. The new coin is only differentiated from the real 1936 coin by a tiny dot, below the date for the 1 cent and below the bow on the wreath for the other two.

The Canadian plant produces a very small number of specimens of the three dotted coins and of the three unmodified denominations, 5 cents, 50 cents and 1 dollar. A small production for urgent circulation is released for the dot 25. The dot cent and the dot 10 will not be issued.

An employee of the Royal Canadian Mint had kept a complete set of the six specimens. Acquired together in 1954 by a collector, they were sold separately by Heritage in January 2003.

This group included the best of the three known George V dot cent 1936 coins. Certified Specimen 66 Red by PCGS, it was sold for $ 400K including premium by Heritage on January 3, 2010. I discussed it in this column before that sale. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.

This specimen still had a layer of protective lacquer put by the factory to improve its short term preservation. Slight discolorations were reported in 2010. This coating has been removed and the coin is now graded SP 65 Red and Brown, also by PCGS. It is estimated $ 250K for sale by Heritage in Chicago on August 15, lot 31048.

A dot 10 is also listed in the same sale, lot 31192 estimated $ 50K. One of four known examples, it is graded SP 63+ by PCGS.

From 1949 to 1971 the Grand National is a series of closed-circuit competitions reserved for production cars, organized by NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). As for the drivers, Richard Petty, champion in 1964 and 1967, becomes the essential personality.

After the 1968 season, Petty leaves Plymouth for Ford which is then developing the Talladega. Plymouth reacts by creating the Superbird which is a version with a rear diffuser of their new Road Runner. Dodge and Mercury are also preparing new developments. To meet the NASCAR rules, the Superbird will be manufactured in about 2,000 units.

Petty returned to Plymouth in 1970. For 1971 new rules restrict the use of aerodynamic equipment in the Grand National, thereby obsoleting the Superbird. For the 1972 season the Plymouth factory ceases to fund Petty. On August 3 in Harrisburg, Mecum sells two Plymouth cars raced by "King Richard" during this transition period.

Lot S96 is a Superbird from 1970, the only year of production of this model. In that year Petty won 8 NASCAR races with several cars, but the Grand National champion was Bobby Isaac on Dodge. The car for sale was displayed by Petty in a movie produced by Disney in 2006. The estimate is not published.

In 1971 Petty is the NASCAR champion. Lot S100 is the Road Runner with which he achieved 19 of his 21 race wins of that year. It is estimated $ 1M.

Please watch the video shared by Mecum introducing the two cars. The image of the Superbird is shared by Wikimedia with attribution ckirkman at flickr [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

The Chevrolet Corvette is launched in 1953 by General Motors as a sports car model. The engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov has many ideas for turning it into a racing car. This will be his main activity until his retirement in 1975, with innovative projects that are not all supported by his bosses.

The Mark IV Big Block V8 engine is introduced by GM in 396 CI in 1965 and 427 CI (7 liters) in 1966. Arkus-Duntov has a 427 installed in a prototype that is tested by Roger Penske. The project is kept secret and the other prototypes of the 427 Corvette are not documented.

This time, the management agrees to launch a limited production, which will be in a first phase reserved for customers chosen by the brand. In 1967 the Corvette 427 receives the reference RPO L88, RPO meaning Regular Production Option. The L88 can be bodied in coupe, convertible or roadster, with many secondary options. 20 L88s are produced in 1967, followed by 196 other cars before the termination of this RPO at the end of 1969.

The very first L88 is a convertible. It was delivered in 1967 to Tony DeLorenzo, son of a GM Public Relations Executive, who was training for the competitions of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) in the categories of production cars. The competitiveness of this car is confirmed, with a top speed at 250 km/h that frightens the father. It will be sold by Mecum in Harrisburg on August 3 , lot S90.

A coupe from the same year was sold for $ 3.85M including premium by Barrett-Jackson in January 2014. It had been announced before the sale as the best L88 in existence. A few minutes earlier, a 1969 L88 special lightweight convertible identified as the Rebel Corvette had been sold for $ 2.86M including premium.

Here are two other results including premium for 1967 L88s : $ 3.5M for a convertible on September 7, 2013 by Mecum ; $ 1.98M for a roadster on January 18, 2017 by Worldwide.

Throughout the economic crisis of the 1930s, movie-goers temporarily forget their difficulties with the horror films of Universal Pictures. For the same public, Martin Goodman becomes in 1933 editor of pulp magazines. He is 25 years old.

In 1938 and 1939 DC Comics achieve a gigantic success with their superheroes including Superman and Batman. Goodman becomes their main competitor by creating Timely Publications which becomes Timely Comics in April 1941. The first Timely magazine, Marvel Comics # 1, is so successful that its circulation is increased from 80,000 to 800,000 copies in November 1939.

The son of Lithuanian Jewish emigrants, Goodman is sensitive to events in Europe. In addition to his androids, he promotes a super military leader named Captain America, endowed with the physical and intellectual perfection and wearing very prominently the stars and stripes of the US flag.

This super patriot staged by Simon and drawn by Kirby appears for the first time in the # 1 dated March 1941 of the new magazine Captain America. On the cover page, he shoots in a devastating right hook a very recognizable character who is nominally designated as Hitler in the text.

With nearly 1 million copies sold, Captain America # 1 is a great success, showing that it already meets the expectations of young Americans nearly one year before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The best unrestored copies graded by CGC  are one almost perfect NM/MT 9.8 and two NM 9.4. One of these 9.4 will be sold by Heritage in Dallas on August 1, lot 91053. Its pages are described between Off-white and White.

The tradition of commemorative medallions flown in US space missions begins with the first manned Gemini flight. They were made of pewter or sterling and sometimes gilded. Although the production was not documented, their boxes were marked Fliteline. The mission dates are engraved after the return to earth.

The latest series of Fliteline medallions is for Apollo 1. Eight prototypes had been prepared before the cabin fire. As a tribute to his fallen comrades, Neil Armstrong took a gilt specimen with him to the Apollo 11 LM. Coming from his collection, it was sold for $ 275K including premium by Heritage on November 1, 2018.

When the Apollo program restarted in 1968, NASA reorganized this prestigious operation. The design is generally made by the crew of the related mission. Until Apollo 10 the shape is free. The production is entrusted to Robbins Company, a supplier of badges for the FBI and of Olympic medals.

The sterling silver medallions are now serialized, probably because NASA fears that astronauts will derive a personal profit detrimental to its reputation. A few 14K gold medallions are added for the personal collections of the astronauts.

For Apollo 11 in 1969, the drawing is prepared by Michael Collins. Robbins makes 450 silver sterling medallions that are all mission flown except for 10 that had been lost, plus 3 gold medallions, one for each astronaut.

The gold medallion awarded to Neil Armstrong followed him in the Lunar Module Eagle. Coming from his collection and graded MS 67 by NGC, it will be sold on July 16 in Dallas by Heritage, lot 50067 with an opening bid of $ 250K without reserve price. Please watch the video shared by NGC.

Collins's eagle ready to land in a plain of craters under earth light will be re-used for the federal coin of $ 1 between 1971 and 1978.

The scandal of Apollo 15 did not come from medallions but from philatelic envelopes.

SOLD for $ 2.05M including premium

In the early years of the 20th century, Hans 'Honus' Wagner and Ty Cobb were considered the best baseball players of all time, with an exceptional hitting rate.

Honus Wagner began his MLB career in 1897 in Louisville, the city where Hillerich was making the Louisville Slugger. Two Louisville Sluggers linked to Wagner arrive simultaneously at auction.

In September 1905 Wagner had an agreement with J. F. Hillerich & Son to endorse a model of the Louisville Slugger. Such a commercial act, unprecedented in the history of sports, demonstrates the attention paid by the champion to derivatives. Four years later, the withdrawal of his image from the 'T206' series of baseball cards is certainly due to his financial request.

On August 17 in Dallas, Heritage sells a Louisville Slugger without a Wagner mark. This bat is probably anterior to the 1905 covenant. Wagner gave it in 1948 to a friend who was comparing old and modern bats and was amazed at its high weight. Graded GU 10 by PSA/DNA, it is estimated $ 1M, lot 56065.

The other bat belongs to the very last phase of Wagner's career. Its mark Louisville Slugger - 125 - Hillerich & Bradsby Co provides a terminus post quem in 1916 when the name of the company had been changed. 125 has been from 1915 the brand's global reference for professional bats, superseding the previous number 40.

This bat also carries the trade mark of J Hans Wagner, meaning at that time that it has the custom features suited to Honus Wagner. The process, also applied from 1918 by Babe Ruth, was for a champion to send back to the factory his preferred bat to be used as a model. This Wagner bat has a terminus ante quem in 1917 when he retired as a player.

Graded GU 8.5 by PSA/DNA, this bat is lot 4 for sale by Goldin in Chicago on August 1.