The most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever auctioned, a jersey worn by US baseball icon Babe Ruth, fetched a staggering $24.1 million, breaking the previous record.
The online auction for the New York Yankees’ jersey spanned several weeks. It was anticipated to surpass the previous record of $12.6 million set in August 2022 for a Mickey Mantle baseball card.
Prior to 2022, no sports memorabilia had ever exceeded the symbolic $10-million mark, but that year, both the Mantle card and a basketball jersey worn by the renowned Michael Jordan exceeded this threshold.
Ruth, also known as The Bambino, donned the historic jersey during a pivotal game against the Chicago Cubs in the 1932 World Series.
Facing heckling from the opposing team, Ruth defiantly pointed deep into the centre-field stands before hitting the next pitch in that exact direction for a home run.
This victory secured the World Series win for the Yankees and marked Ruth’s final championship triumph.
Following his retirement, Ruth generously gifted the jersey to a friend he played golf with. The jersey changed hands thrice, fetching $940,000 in a 2005 sale.
