The glowing blue letters that once lit the Bronx from above Yankee Stadium failed to find a buyer at an auction at Sotheby 's on Wednesday . While the 13 letters were expected to bring in anywhere from $ 300,000 to $ 600,000 , the only person who raised a paddle - for $ 260,000 - was a Sotheby 's employee trying to jump start the bidding . The current owner of the signage is Yankee Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson , who purchased the 10-feet-tall letters for an undisclosed amount after the stadium saw its final game in 2008 . No love : 13 letters that hung over Yankee Stadium were estimated to bring in anywhere from $ 300,000 to $ 600,000 , but received no bids at a Sotheby 's auction Wednesday . The 68-year-old Yankee said he wanted ' a new generation to own and enjoy this icon of the Yankees and of New York City . ' The letters had beamed from atop Yankee Stadium near Grand Concourse in the Bronx since 1976 , the year before Jackson joined the team . ESPN reports Jackson , who attended the auction , bought the letters 'on a lark . ' Jackson joked that once he saw the size of the letters , some of which are also 10-feet-wide , he realized he might have gotten ahead of himself . He promised before the auction that if the letters were bought by a bidder in the United States , he would fly out to see the signage himself at the winner 's home . Yankee Stadium : The letters at the stadium , which was built in 1923 , were installed in 1976 and taken down in 2008 . In addition to the letters , Sotheby 's was auctioning off a New York Mets bullpen car from the late 60s . Despite the Mets memorabilia being estimated at only $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 , it raked in a winning bid of $ 112,500 at auction .
The Yankee Stadium signage was bought by Hall of Famer JacksonReggie Jackson when the stadium was shuttered in 2008 for an undisclosed sum . Before the auction , Reggie Jackson had promised to fly out himself to see the letters at the winner 's home .