ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE: FRIDAY DECEMBER 4, 2009

Record $350,000 Paid For Signed 1927 Yankees Photo

(New York, New York) - A near-mint condition photograph signed by 30 members of the legendary “Murderer’s Row” 1927 New York Yankees team has been purchased for a record $350,000 by a New York metro area collector who wants to publicly display it at Yankee Stadium.

“The price is the most ever paid for a vintage sports photograph and is nearly 70 percent higher than the last time this autographed picture was sold in an auction less than three years ago,” said Joe Orlando, President of† PSA/DNA Authentication Services in Newport Beach, California, which certified the authenticity of the autographs. PSA/DNA, a division of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT), is the world’s largest sports memorabilia certification service.

The purchase by an anonymous buyer from an also unidentified seller was brokered by Memory Lane, Inc. of Tustin, California. The company first sold the autograph photo for $206,000 in a December 2006 auction.

“The team-signed photograph of the 1927 Yankees players was purchased by a New York metro area collector who told me he now wants to share it with other fans and make arrangements for publicly displaying it at the new Yankee Stadium. The 1927 Yankees have been described as the greatest baseball team of all time,” said Orlando.

Signatures include Babe Ruth who hit 60 home runs that season, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Herb Pennock, Waite Hoyt, Earle Combs, Benny Bengough, Bob Meusel and Miller Huggins, the team manager.

“The signatures and the photo are in outstanding condition; an eight on a scale of one to ten. It’s a classic team photo with the players in their pinstripes and posing behind home plate,” explained Orlando.

“Several other team-signed copies of this photograph are known, but they’re not completely original. Some of the autographs on those photos are so-called ‘clubhouse’ signatures, signed by other players or other ball club personnel.”

The 1927 Yankees won 110 games and lost only 44.

The autographs originally were personally obtained by Yankees pitcher George Pipgras who won ten games that season, and then passed down to his daughter, LeMorn Pipgras Simpson. She later sold it for $80,000.

“The $350,000 price not only is a new record for a vintage sports photograph, it shows that super high-end sports memorabilia continue to sell well despite the economy,” stated Orlando, who also is editor of Sports Market Report, a memorabilia price guide monthly magazine.