The oldest-known Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth, circa 1920, sold for $4.42 million at an auction over the weekend, according to SPC Auctions, setting the new world record for the Most expensive sports memorabilia.
That total eclipsed the $4.34 million brought in by James Naismith's 1891 typed rules of the game of basketball in 2010.
The Guinness world record for the Largest collection of stickers of bowlng clubs was set by Cedric Brown (UK) who has a collection of 17,455 bowling stickers.
Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the Largest collection of sports mascots, set by Adina and Falk Hinneberg (Germany) who has 874 different official sports mascots.
In the same auction, Ruth's 1934 cap sold for $537,278, the highest price ever for a cap. A bat he used during the 1920s also brought in more than half a million dollars, selling for $591,007.
Lelands.com says it submitted the winning bid of $4,415,658 for the jersey, which had been on display at the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore. Lelands, according to spokeswoman Suzan French, intends to sell the jersey privately.
"This is simply the finest sports artifact we've handled in our 30-year history," said SCP Auctions President David Kohler.
"It has it all. You would be hard pressed to dream up a more desirable baseball artifact. The historical impact of Ruth's emergence in the Big Apple in the early 1920s, combined with the jersey's superb original condition, makes this a sports treasure of the highest order."
"It has a definite aura about it," added SCP Auctions Managing Director Dan Imler.
"It is hard to put a value on an item of such singular importance. Ruth was a man of mythic proportions. More than any other man, he transcended sports, achieving a nearly unrivaled status as an American icon. In the process, he changed the game of baseball forever. To think this jersey was worn by him during the most pivotal years of his career, and arguably the most consequential years in baseball history, makes this one of the finest sports artifacts we'll see in our lifetime."
Ruth's 714 career home runs rank third all-time behind Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. He hit .342 over 22 Major League seasons, 21 of which came with the Red Sox and Yankees.
He retired in 1935 and passed away at the age of 53 on Aug. 16, 1948. |
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Most Expensive Sports Memorabilia