Babe Ruth’s legendary “called his shot” jersey just sold for a whopping $24.12 million dollars in an auction.
In what was probably the most highly anticipated sports memorabilia auction of all time, Babe Ruth’s iconic jersey from when he “called his shot” during the third game of the 1932 World Series, netted the massive sum with Heritage Auctions. The sale set an auction record for the most expensive sports collectible ever.
According to Heritage Auctions via ESPN, Ruth originally gifted the jersey to a friend he golfed with in Florida around 1940. That man’s daughter then sold it to a collector over 50 years later. Then in 2005, the jersey sold at auction for $940,000.
Back then, the jersey was linked to the 1932 World Series, but it wasn’t explicitly tied to Game 3 until it was photo-matched.
Prior to the sale of this jersey, the previous record price for a piece of sports memorabilia was $12.6 million, and that was for a mint condition Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle Card that sold at auction in 2022.
Earlier this year, Heritage Auctions’ Director of Sports Auctions Chris Ivy suggested to ESPN that the card could get upwards of $30 million.
“This is essentially the Mona Lisa,” said Ivy. “It’s a very mythical moment that crosses over not only in baseball history, but American history, pop culture history.”
“We’re still talking about it 100 years later, which is one of the reasons why I think it’s the most significant piece of sports memorabilia in the world,” he continued. “When it hits that new record, high tide raises all boats. I think more people are going to be interested in this hobby.”
The identity of the buyer has yet to be revealed.
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