(WWJ) - A sports memorabilia auction is kicking off Thursday and there's a specific item up for sale that is catching the eye of Detroit Tigers fans — a pair of home pants worn by Hall of Fame outfielder Ty Cobb.
WWJ's Chris Fillar reports the trousers, donned by the baseball legend during the 1920s, is exceptionally rare and is being offered for auction over the next few days by New Jersey-based auction house Lelands.
"While we cannot state with certainty how many Ty Cobb game worn jerseys and pants have survived, the number is probably fewer than ten combined, with pants representing the minority within that total," Lelands said of the item on their website. "This is the first pair of Cobb pants we have ever offered and we cannot recall having seen any other examples offered alone at auction in the past twenty-five years."
The white flannel pinstriped pants are accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services (MEARS), which has certified the garment as "Authentic." The pants feature the name "Ty Cobb" chain stitched in navy thread into the exterior side of the fly panel featuring the buttons.
While no manufacturer's tag is present, but there is no evidence of one having been removed, Lelands added.
As one could expect from a garment worn by an active player such as Cobb, the pants have heavy wear with small holes, a team repair to a tear seen on the front right leg and light blue stains, likely from how the pants were stored over the years and not from field play, can be seen on the base of each leg.
According to MEARS, the pants were used by Cobb during 1920 to 1926 as the Detroit Tigers wore the pinstriped home uniforms every year expect in 1925.
Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers with his last six as the team's player-manager from 1921 to 1926. He then went on to finish his career with the Philadelphia Athletics.
Cobb was often called a formidable presence at the plate, batting over .338 every season, including .401 in 1922.
The auction house said the outfielder's game-worn jerseys rarely make it to auction, but when they do, they go well out of the price range for fans looking to bring home a piece of baseball history.
Lelands said the pants, while still very rare, offer the same game-worn status as a jersey, but at a fraction of the cost.
The starting bid for the garment began at $2,500.00 and has since skyrocketed to $18, 760.00 as of Thursday morning.
Back in 2011, a uniform worn by Cobb during the 1922 season sold for $358,500 in Heritage Auctions’ Vintage Sports Collectibles Signature® Auction,