LOUISVILLE, Ky., Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Baseball fanatics paid thousands for memorabilia at the Louisville Slugger Museum's annual auction in Kentucky, auctioneers said.
The items sold Saturday included bats, jerseys, jackets, autographs and balls linked to the national pastime's greatest names, The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal reported.
The ball Babe Ruth hit for his 702nd out of 714 home runs sold for $264,500, the price of a comfortable home in many of the city's neighborhoods.
A photograph of Marilyn Monroe, signed to her husband, Joe DiMaggio, went for $63,250, about 50 percent higher than Kentucky's median household income in 2008.
Many sales far outran advance estimates and impressed even David Hunt, president of the Pennsylvania company that ran the event, the newspaper said.
"We had some amazing results today," he said.
Most of the serious bidding, for the most expensive treasures, was carried out by telephone.
None of the successful bidders for the most coveted items would be identified, said a publicist for the event.
Greg Schube, a collector from Cincinnati, got five items, including a DiMaggio print and several autographed baseballs. Asked what he had paid, he told the Courier-Journal, "I'd rather not publish that in the paper."
