"Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." On July 4, 1939, the New York Yankees paid tribute to their terminally ill captain Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium by holding a special day in his honor. The official ceremony was held between games of a doubleheader against the Senators, during which time Gehrig was presented with a multitude of gifts. The most significant of those was a silver charger presented to him by his teammates. The charger featured an engraved poem by John Kiernan along with the names of each member of the 1939 New York Yankees. Following the ceremony, renowned New York jewelers Dieges & Clust produced several rectangular brass plaques that replicated Kiernan's poem and list of player names as engraved on the charger. Offered is one of those scarce Lou Gehrig Day commemorative brass plaques produced by Dieges & Clust. The top of the plaque is lettered "American Sportsman," below which are Kiernan's poem (titled "To Lou Gehrig") and the printed names of thirty members of the New York Yankees. It must be noted that these specially produced brass plaques were not intended for retail sale and were issued only to select VIPs. This is the first example of this significant Lou Gehrig Day plaque we have ever handled and we can recall having seen only two others in the past twenty-five years. Lou Gehrig Day is perhaps the most moving Major League ceremony ever held held on account of Gehrig's famous "Luckiest Man" speech. Not surprisingly, other than tickets and programs, very few tangible souvenirs relating to that day remain. This piece is the rare exception and represents perhaps the most significant piece available to collectors commemorating Lou Gehrig Day. The plaque (4.75x10.5") displays a pre-punched hole at the top for mounting, minor tarnishing, and a few light scratches.