A baseball jersey belonging to American legend Babe Ruth, from the New York Yankees team, broke records on Sunday, August 25th, becoming the most expensive sports item ever auctioned. It was sold for a whopping sum of $24.1 million, which includes fees and commissions, in a sale organized by Heritage Auctions.
The online sale spanned several weeks and it had been clear since the end of July that the jersey of « Bambino, » one of Babe Ruth’s nicknames, would claim the record.
The record holder previously was a baseball card featuring another Yankees player, Mickey Mantle. It was sold for $12.6 million in August 2022 in a sale also organized by Heritage Auctions.
Regarding equipment worn in one or multiple games, the highest mark was set by a jersey worn by Michael Jordan in the first game of the NBA finals in 1998. It was auctioned off for $10.1 million in a Sotheby’s sale in September 2022.
There was a time when no sports collectible had surpassed the symbolic threshold of $10 million. This clearly shows that the market is gaining momentum.
The record-breaking jersey was worn by Babe Ruth (1895-1948) while competing in a historic match against the Chicago Cubs, in the final of the World Series in 1932. Legend has it that Ruth pointed in the direction he intended to hit the ball, before smacking a home run, sending it out of the park just as he had predicted. The Yankees went on to win that game as well as the final four innings (4-0).
Plusieurs années suivant la fin de sa carrière sportive, Babe Ruth avait offert son maillot à un de ses partenaires de golf. Ce maillot a déjà été vendu et racheté trois fois par la suite. En 2005, il a été cédé pour une somme de 940 000 dollars seulement.