Geddy Lee has a lot going on in the next month.
In addition to publishing his memoir My Effin' Life next Tuesday (November 14th) and doing a theater Q&A tour in support of it starting Monday in New York, he's parting with upwards of 300 pieces from his collection of baseball memorabilia.
Geddy has spent more than 40 years collecting autographed and historic milestone baseballs, uniforms and caps worn by the likes of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, as well as artwork and memorabilia including a near complete collection of World Series programs dating back to 1903.
He tells The Athletic, “Collections need to be tended, and they need to be fed... The items I collected over these years, I collected with passion, I collected with love, and I just have too much! It’s time to share with the world again. And that’s fine.”
Among the more desirable items going under the hammer are:
- Baseballs signed by U.S. Presidents
- Artifacts that belonged to Shoeless Joe Jackson
- The final-out balls from both of Johnny Vander Meer’s back-to-back no-hitters
- A ball singed by all four Beatles -- estimated at $300,000
- A Lou Gehrig bat -- $400- to $600,000
- Jerseys worn by Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron one-million and up
Geddy adds, “Baseballs, nobody owns them. They’re like houses. You take care of them for a while, and then they move on to the next person, the next custodian.”
But he's not selling everything. “I kept a lot of personal things, and a lot of things that I felt my grandson perhaps would be interested to take over eventually in time.”
Selections From the Collection of Geddy Lee is being handled in two parts by Christie's -- online from November 21st to December 7th; and in person on December 6th at Christie's in New York.
In addition to baseball memorabilia, Geddy is also a collector of vintage bass guitars, watches and wine.