- Babe Ruth is one of the greatest baseball players of all time, and one of the first popular athletes in history.
- Ruth memorabilia is a big draw in that industry, and the jersey in which he called his famous home run in 1932 recently sold for over $24 million.
- This is a record in the world of sports collectibles and memorabilia.
When you’re talking about the biggest names in baseball history, and you’re starting from the beginning, Babe Ruth is probably the first name on your list. “The Bambino” was famously sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees in January 1920. This is known as the “Curse of the Bambino” as the Red Sox wouldn’t win the World Series until 2004.
Of course, this means any memorabilia from the five-time MVP will be popular, and now the Ruth legacy has another item on its resume.
It is reported that the jersey Ruth wore in the 1932 World Series, when he pointed to the bleachers and allegedly predicted a home run, was sold at an auction on August 25 for over $24 million. It is now the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia in history.
Ruth Jersey Sets a Record Previously Held by Mickey Mantle Rookie Card
The auction was run by Heritage Auctions, which holds events for people to bid on sports memorabilia. But they also run auctions for other teams. For example, on their website, there are auctions on rare video games, and animation art for Nickelodeon, MTV, and The Cartoon Network. They put together a presentation for the Ruth Jersey in the months leading up to the auction.
The auction went for over six hours before the final bid of $24.12 million was made. The jersey was won by an anonymous person in Dallas, Texas. The jersey is entrenched in baseball lore, and it has been in different hands over the year. The AP report reveals that Ruth initially gave the jersey to a friend, whose daughter sold it to a collector in the 1990s. That collector sold it to an action for $940,000 in 2005 before it was sent to Heritage Auctions.
It is now the most expensive sports memorabilia in history, according to a Sportico article that was last updated in January 2024. Before the Ruth jersey, the top spot was held by a Mickey Mantle rookie card from 1952. This card went for $12.6 million, so needless to say, the Ruth jersey shattered that record. Ruth and Mantle never played together on the Yankees, as Ruth left the Yankees in 1934 to play his final season with the Boston (now the Atlanta) Braves. Mantle’s rookie season in New York was in 1951.
Also on the list is a worn Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls jersey from 1998, when Jordan won the last of his six NBA titles. Diego Maradona’s jersey from the legendary “Hand of God” game between Argentina and England went for $9.3 million. However, the Ruth jersey has set a new standard for sports memorabilia, even though the details around the “called shot” have been up for debate for decades.
Did Ruth Really Call His Shot?
There are some questions surrounding the “called shot”. Ruth definitely pointed to center field during his at-bat against Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Charlie Root. However, the debate centers around whether Ruth was actually calling his shot, or whether he was just gesturing in general. Ruth had been heckled throughout the game by Cubs’ fans, so he could have been just making a gesture towards them.
However, this just adds to the legend and the lore of the “called shot” jersey. Whether it actually happened or not, a lot of money has been made on this sale. It’ll be interesting to see, if it goes up for auction again, how much it’ll get. That would be a great prop bet at MLB betting sites.
