Fifty years ago, Henry “Hank” Louis Aaron wrote his name in the history books with his record-breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974.
Now, there is a chance you can win a piece of history from that night.
Texas-based Heritage Auctions will be auctioning off the home plate and bases that Aaron touched as he surpassed Babe Ruth at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. There is also a 1974 Aaron game-worn jersey on the auction block.
The jersey bids are expecting to top $100,000 with the plates expected to go for at least $43,000 each.
The Aaron items will be offered during the Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction Aug. 23-25. The collection features over 1,000 lots. You can click here to view them.
Back in April for the 50th anniversary, Aaron’s widow Billye Suber Aaron invited Channel 2′s Karyn Greer into her home for an exclusive interview to talk about that historic night.
His future wife was in the stands at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and remembers that moment well.
“What did he do when he rounded the bases?” Greer asked Aaron.
“Of course, I was watching him carefully, and I saw him looking over trying to find me, and in a few minutes, he came to the box where I am. But we embraced and he just kind of split up and he said, ‘We did it,’” Aaron said.
Aaron said the 50th anniversary was bittersweet, but knows her husband would have been his humble self about his legacy.
“What would Mr. Aaron say today as we get ready to celebrate this big 715? What would he want people to say or think?” Greer asked Aaron.
“I think he would say, ‘I did my best.’ I know I’ve been blessed because he feels that God gave him a talent, and he would certainly not be worth the time and effort of a lot of people if he had not given it his best to try to make a life for himself and his family. And I think he would just say, ‘Well, I’m just glad God gave me the talent. And then I used it in an appropriate way so that now we can live and help others,’” Aaron said.