Old ‘Yankee Stadium’ Letters Strike Out at Auction

Surprising many, the giant, lighted letters that once spelled out “YANKEE STADIUM” atop the old Bronx ballpark failed to sell at auction last week.

The letters brought a lot of media attention, but few bidders, during the March 26 auction hosted by Sotheby’s.

When the sale of the letters was announced early in March it was estimated that they might go for between $300,000 and $600,000.

But as the auction ended no buyer had emerged to put a bid on the iconic signage.

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson originally purchased the giant letters in 2008 when the Bronx stadium closed.

“It was for sale. I thought it was interesting and I wanted to own it. I wanted to own something with ‘Yankee Stadium’ on it,” Jackson said early in March.

The ten-foot-tall letters stood atop the ballpark from 1976 until the park closed in 2008. Each letter was illuminated by a dozen 56-watt fluorescent blue tubes nestled inside.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com