Bob Ellis knew what he wanted from his mother-in-law's collection of Lou Gehrig memorabilia both times she asked him to pick something out as a Father's Day gift.

It was a hat worn by the New York Yankees slugger and a baseball signed by fellow Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker and Eddie Collins.

"I could never wear the hat because my head was too big," the Connecticut resident said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "The baseball to me is historic. I know statistically those four batters were four of the top 20 batters in the history of baseball."