World’s most valuable sports collectible, Babe Ruth's jersey sets world record

August 26, 2024

Dallas, Texas, United States--The jersey worn by legendary New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth when he called his shot during the 1932 World Series before slamming a home run to center field fetched $24,120,000 - setting the new world record for the World’s most valuable sports collectible, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"The jersey that legendary New York Yankees player Babe Ruth wore when he hit one of baseball’s most famous home runs sold for $24.12 million on Sunday — making it the world’s most valuable sports collectible," the CNN reports.

"Dallas-based Heritage Auctions said the jersey achieved the record — previously held by a 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card that fetched $12.6 million in August 2022 — after a “thrilling bidding war” that lasted over six hours.

"Ruth was wearing the road gray No. 3 jersey when he played against the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series. He appeared to gesture toward something in center field just before hitting a fifth-inning home run into the bleachers. Over the last 92 years, the “Called Shot” has become infamous in baseball lore, being “endlessly celebrated, imitated and replicated,” the auction house said in a press release."

"The jersey worn by baseball legend Babe Ruth when he "called the shot" during the 1932 World Series has become the most expensive item of sporting memorabilia to sell at auction," the BBC says.

"Ruth's jersey sold for £18.1m ($24.12m), dwarfing the £9.53m ($12.6m) paid in 2022 for a 1952 Topps baseball card featuring New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle.

"The previous record for a jersey sold at auction was basketball legend Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls shirt from the 1998 NBA finals, which sold for £7.64m ($10.1m) in 2022."

"George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935," Wikipedia says.

"Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", he began his MLB career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees.

"Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1936, Ruth was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members."

"Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions for Heritage Auctions, which is brokering the sale, told ESPN in May that he wouldn't be surprised if the Ruth jersey exceeds $30 million. In July, at the 44th National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Ivy said the amount could rise even beyond that area," the ESPN says.

"A Babe Ruth bat that wasn't photo-matched sold with Heritage for $400,800 in 2018. Last year, Henry Yee, a photo expert with Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), a card grading company and autograph/memorabilia authenticator, matched the bat to photos from 1921, when Ruth set single-season and career home run records. It soon sold for $1.85 million with Hunt Auctions, still a record for a baseball bat.

"In 2021, 44% of the 25 most expensive pieces of memorabilia were photo-matched, according to Altan Insights, a company that provides data and quantitative analysis to help investors understand the collectibles market. By 2023, the figure rose to 92%. Across sports collecting, the growth of and reliance upon photo-matching has mirrored an industry trend toward acquisition of game-used items."

"A New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth during perhaps the most storied moment of the baseball legend’s career has sold for $24.12 million, shattering the record for most expensive sports collectible sold at auction," the NPR says.

The gray road jersey, sold by Heritage Auctions on Sunday in Dallas, was said to be worn by Ruth when he "called his shot" in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs.

"The sale almost doubles the previous auction record for the most paid for a piece of sports memorabilia. That was for a 1952 Topps card of another Yankee legend, Mickey Mantle, which fetched $12.6 million at a Heritage auction in 2022. Before Sunday, the most expensive game-worn sports jersey was that worn by Michael Jordan in the first Chicago Bulls game of the 1998 NBA Finals; it sold for $10.1 million in 2022."

"The jersey Ruth wore in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, when he legendarily "called his shot" and homered off Chicago Cubs pitcher Charlie Root, sold at auction Saturday night for $24.12 million – setting a record for the most expensive sports collectible," the USA Today says.

"The bidding for Ruth's size 46 road gray No 3 New York Yankees uniform was handled by Heritage Auctions, which did not identify the buyer. The previous record was for a rare mint condition Mickey Mantle 1952 rookie card, which sold for $12.6 million in 2022.

"Whether or not Ruth actually pointed to the center field stands and then hit the ball there on Root's next pitch, the jersey is significant because it was the last World Series home run the Babe hit in his storied career."

"There are no words sufficient to express the pride with which we at Heritage Auctions present this jersey to the collecting community, the single item that most comprehensively emblematizes the mystique and mastery of baseballs' greatest figure. Photography captured that afternoon in Chicago provides the manner of ironclad certitude that the film footage could never supply to the apocryphal tale, perfectly matching the subject jersey and assuring beyond any doubt this is the road grey flannel that George Herman Ruth was wearing as he authored the most captivating masterpiece of American sports," the Heritage Auctions says.

"The jersey is constructed of heavy (estimate 6-8 ounce wool) gray flannel that is fully consistent with authentic New York Yankees road jerseys of the era. Midnight navy felt forms "NEW YORK" in gentle arch across chest, with Ruth's iconic number "3" applied in identical format to verso. Interior collar bears a square "Spalding" label in a format used by the sporting goods manufacturer circa 1926 through 1933.

"There is no size marking, which is correct for the production era. Immediately to the left, "Ruth G.H." is embroidered directly into the jersey body in a manner likewise consistent with other known exemplars. Both the tag and embroidered name are not sewn through to the back of the jersey, indicating they were applied prior to the finishing of the collar construction, thus appropriate in every regard to Spalding's standard operating procedure."

"The jersey measures to a size 46, appropriate for Ruth's frame in 1932. Seven pearl gray buttons appear at chest, each deemed to be original to the jersey. The bottom of the placket features two vertical slots that resemble buttonholes, but they are present for the utilization of a tie-down or "fat strap," in hobby parlance," the Heritage Auctions says.

"Ruth used this design feature in his later, heavier years to keep his jersey tucked into his pants, the equivalent of a hockey "fight strap." The rear bottom of the jersey reveals the original sewn application where that strap was anchored, but only a portion of the strap remains to present day.

"Game wear is characterized as "moderate to heavy," but the garment remains in well above average condition for its advanced age. General toning throughout is a welcome indicator of age and perhaps the staining of infield clay to some degree. Minimal separation of the anchor stitching of the number "3" on verso appears at the divot of the numeral's spine.

"An oval-shaped hole at left shoulder, about 1.75x1" at its largest dimensions, has been expertly patched at interior by a conservationist so as to render that minor fault virtually invisible. Professional cleaning instituted in recent years has likewise improved the general aesthetics."

"The jersey worn by legendary New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth when he called his shot during the 1932 World Series before slamming a home run to center field fetched more than $24 million at auction. Heritage Auctions offered up the jersey Saturday night in Dallas and it sold for $24,120,000," the CBS News says.

"In the realm of sports collectibles, this is the greatest sports collectible of all time," Chris Ivy from Heritage Auctions told CBS Mornings ahead of the auction. Ruth, known as "The Great Bambino," is widely regarded as baseball's most storied player. He won seven World Series titles and hit 714 home runs during his illustrious career.

"He wore the jersey, which has been photo-matched to images from the time, in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Oct. 1, 1932. In the fifth inning, Ruth stepped up to the plate, gestured toward the outfield, and hit the next pitch over the wall of Cubs pitcher Charlie Root. The moment has been known as "The Called Shot" ever since."