text: 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.
target: The Yankee Stadium signage was bought by Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson when the stadium was shuttered in 2008 for an undisclosed sum .
  Before the auction, Jackson had promised to fly out himself to see the letters at the winner's home .