Lewis Strang's 'first' Indy 500 race uniform stars in US Transportation auction

Lewis Strang sat in pole position for the inaugural Indianapolis 500, and his rare uniform is now for sale

A unique piece of Indianapolis 500 memorabilia is appearing in the same varied Transportation, Military, Circus & Posters auction as the Nagasaki visitor's post-Atomic bomb diary that we reported on last week.

This "first worn race uniform" is attributed to the American racecar driver Lewis Strang (1884-1911). Strang sat in pole position for the inaugural Indianapolis 500.

Strang was later killed in a testing accident, thus becoming the first-ever Indy 500 veteran to die. He was posthumously selected as the 1908 National Champion by historian Russ Catlin in 1951.

According to the lot notes for Strang's suit, it "shows all the signs of wear and tear you would expect from a worn racing coverall". The overalls were made by HL Sanders, then the United States' most noted uniform maker.

Lewis Strang's Indy 500 overalls are up for sale in the US

The overalls are for sale with a photograph of Strang wearing this uniform before the Indianapolis 500 race on October 22, 1910. Back then, the entry fee for the Indy 500 was $500, equal to about $11,600 in today's dollars.

Worn sports uniforms are among the most coveted sports memorabilia pieces for collectors.

Other examples up for sale in the markets include Diego Maradona's last Argentina football shirt, worn by the legend for the 1994 World Cup.

And from past legends to present stars... We have this signed match-worn football shirt autographed by Paul Scholes, the English footballer who has spent his entire professional career with Manchester United.

Scholes has nine Premier League medals to his credit and has played for Manchester United more than 600 times, the fourth highest number of appearances of any footballer for the club.

This signed shirt is for sale priced at £1,250.00. Click here to find out more.

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Images: Philip Weiss