At the Platinum Night sale this past weekend in New York City, Mike Sadler, Heritage's auctioneer, didn't want a repeat of last year. At times the noisy and boisterous room distracted serious bidders from keeping up with the escalating prices, so the U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and airline pilot was taking no chances. "This tends to be a festive crowd," he declared a few minutes before the auction began. "If you are having a conversation, high-fiving, and toasting each other, take it outside!"

Then Chris Ivy, the sports department head, took his turn at crowd control. "Please work with Mike and keep it down to the best of your ability," he said. This year the $100 cost of admission to the auction included a delicious spread buffet with local and organic vegetables like mini carrots, corn tortillas, and chicken chowder. Whether or not a full stomach absorbs alcohol, quite honestly, everyone I observed seemed sober. Their buzz came from a collective collecting high. Platinum Night realized almost $9.9 million in prices, smashing last year's record of $7.1 million.

If the bleacher bums at Yankee Stadium or Wrigley Field had wads of money to spare and were avid collectors, it might approximate the experience of attending a Heritage sports auction. Many of the middle-aged men were dressed in jeans and several wore baseball caps. Noah Fleischer, Heritage's PR director, confirmed that of the 30 categories Heritage deals in — from comic books to fine wines— sports has the most enthusiastic participants. "No doubt about it," he said.

As the only reporter in the room and a sports auction veteran, here are seven of my favorite moments. (Most names have been concealed to protect the men from their wives and each other.)

2) Mazel tov. A bidder in the room raised his paddle in triumph, shelling out $573,600, for Sandy Koufax's game-worn, rookie Brooklyn Dodgers jersey from 1955— the only season in which the Brooklyn won the championship. While the southpaw earned six All-Star rings and three Cy Young awards before health issues cut his career short at age 30, his awards hardly convey the pride he instilled in fans of a different demographic. In short he was the Jewish version of Tony Lazzeri. "They say that shooting stars burn the brightest, and six extraordinary seasons were enough to convince the Hall of Fame voters to induct the Semitic superstar in 1972," Heritage noted. "But even Cooperstown lacks a Koufax relic with the seminal significance of one of the most important Dodger relics ever made available for public sale." Within a split second of Sadler saying "Sold!," the winner rose from his seat and walked out at a fast clip. I followed him to the gallery in the next room where the Koufax jersey hung in a display case like a saint's holy robe. Its new owner would have to wait for it be shipped to him. In the meantime he wanted to take one last look before leaving for the night.

3) One leg at a time. Lou Gehrig's game-worn pants from the 1920s went for $167,300. Heritage correctly made the abuse they endured an asset: "The garment exhibits the manner of heavy wear one would expect from the game's most determined competitor, with a scattering of small holes and stains that may not be game related." I overheard another incredulous longtime industry figure on his phone, telling the winner of the Lazzeri cap that the price paid for the pants "was the most ridiculous thing [he] had ever heard." He should know, though, that Gehrig artifacts tend to be rarer in comparison to those of Babe Ruth and other greats.

4) Double dip. The last-out baseballs from Johnny Vander Meer's two consecutive no-hitters changed hands for $16,730 and $26,290, respectively. "Cy Young's 511 career victories, Nolan Ryan's 5,714 career strikeouts," Heritage said. "Never before June 1938, and never after, has a Major League pitcher recorded back-to-back no-hit performances." Scott Garner, a businessman involved in the pharmaceutical industry and an accomplished collector of memorabilia associated with no-hitters, wanted to go home with at least one of the balls, but both exceeded his price range. To my astonishment, he knew every detail about Vander Meer down to his home mailing address in New Jersey where he received fan mail. "You have to have a lot of luck involved," he said of Vander Meer's feat. "It's hard to do. No one will ever throw three straight no-hitters because nobody pitches 9 innings anymore."

5) Sign here. The night's loudest cheers were to root on a popular bidder and fixture at sports shows and auctions, "Joe T." He was vying for a 1911, 5x8" Christy Mathewson