This summer, Heritage Auctions is set to showcase one of baseball’s most cherished artifacts – the jersey Babe Ruth famously donned during his legendary “called shot” in the 1932 World Series. With an estimated value of a staggering $30 million, this gray road flannel garment could break records as the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold.
The jersey’s storied past can be traced back 92 years to a remarkable game at Wrigley Field, where Ruth reputedly foretold his home run against the Chicago Cubs. This event has since become an enduring tale in baseball folklore, steeped in mystery and controversy. The jersey’s authenticity as the one worn by Ruth during that fateful game has been corroborated by photo matching from two separate companies, heightening its desirability and potential worth.
Having previously changed hands in 2005 for $944,000 through Grey Flannel Auctions, the jersey was initially consigned by the daughter of one of Ruth’s golfing companions. Following its sale, the garment underwent restoration at the Textile Conservation Workshop to mend a tear while conserving its original state. The jersey perfectly mirrors the style worn by the Yankees in 1932, further cementing its historical importance.
Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage, emphasized the jersey’s unparalleled significance in the realm of sports memorabilia: “Ruth’s World Series jersey stands as the most prominent piece of American sports memorabilia to grace an auction in decades. It is primed to set a new precedent as the most expensive sports collectible to ever be auctioned off.”
The current title holder for the priciest sports collectible is a Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps card, which fetched $12.6 million in 2022, also at Heritage Auctions. The highest sum ever paid for a Ruth jersey stands at $5.6 million for a circa 1928-1930 model, sold through Hunt Auctions at Yankee Stadium back in 2019.
The jersey’s provenance and distinctive features, such as button placement and specific stains, have been meticulously scrutinized. These minute details are crucial for authenticators like MeiGray, who treat each game-worn jersey as unique as a fingerprint. This intense scrutiny ensures that potential buyers have concrete evidence supporting the jersey’s claim to fame.
Ruth’s monumental home run endures as a pivotal moment in baseball history, not just for its theatricality but also for the myth it spawned. Despite conflicting reports surrounding the incident, Ruth’s boldness and prowess on that day only added to his mystique. The jersey is slated for display at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland this summer, preceding the auction scheduled for August 23-25.
This upcoming auction not only commemorates a significant slice of sports history but also underscores the burgeoning interest in high-value sports memorabilia, beckoning collectors and fans eager to possess a fragment of baseball’s rich lore.
