How far would sport fans go for the most expensive sport memorabilia in the world?
The world has a special spot for sport events, especially when it comes to the most prestigious and oldest tournament in the world. How much money people willing to spend on those events’ memorabilia is one of the proofs of its divinity. Thus, these most expensive sport memorabilia were born.
Why would people buy sport memorabilia at such price? The answer varies. Some may see them as collectible items. Some are just die-hard fans of the athletes, the sport, or the particular event itself. And some just like to put their hands on a piece of history.
Spoiler alert: most of these expensive memorabilia are from American baseball, Babe Ruth’s items in particular. This should come as no surprise since Major League Baseball of United States has been around for more than a century.
Here we have the top 15 of the world’s most expensive sport memorabilia ever sold. Since the auctions have been going on for decades, we converted the selling prices to their value today. After all, fair play is all that matters, right?
15. FA Cup (£478,400 or $750,000 today)
About one and a half century ago, a competition among football clubs started in England. With such age, of course it is the oldest competition in the world. And this cup is one of the few surviving original trophies made for the competition’s winner.
This one was made in 1896 to replace the first ever cup which was stolen. This silver cup was used in the FA Cup competition from the year it was made to the year of 1910 before the new design was created.
Twelve years ago, this cup hit Christie’s auction house in London. And it set up a furious bidding, not just among those attending at the auction house, but also those tuning in through telephone worldwide. A lucky anonymous telephone bidder won it for £478,400, including buyer’s premium. That is equal to approximately $750,000 today.
FA made only five of this silver cup. As the first one was stolen and assumed to be broken down to pieces, there are only four of them left in the world. Thus, this cup is not just historical, but also extremely rare.
14. Muhammad Ali 1965 Fight Gloves (£622,000 or $765,000)
After Muhammad Ali passed away, a lot of his memorabilia went up for sales. But these gloves were sold even before his passing. This pair of gloves is known for his ‘phantom punch’. That day in 1965, Ali knocked out Sonny Liston on the very first round with that punch.
After the fight, the gloves were kept by George Russo who was the boxing commissioner for Maine, where the heavyweight bout took place. Decades later, Ali visited the town and signed them.
Exclusively signed item from legendary match of a legendary athlete, what else you could have asked for from a sport memorabilia? Thus, it should come as no surprise that someone was willing to pay £622,000 (approximately $765,000) to own them.
That someone was an anonymous buyer at Heritage Auctions in New York, United States less than two years ago. It was also the remark of phantom punch’s 50th anniversary.
13. Bill Tilden 1920 Trophy ($71,500 or $900,000 today)
Bill Tilden’s trophy from 1920 Wimbledon is not just one of the most expensive sport memorabilia in the world, but also the most expensive one from tennis.
William “Big Bill” Tilden was one of tennis legends in both his homeland, United States, and the world. He was the world’s number one tennis player for seven years. And he won 10 Grand Slam titles throughout his entire career. Besides tennis, he was also known for starring in self-produced Broadway shows.
This is Tilden’s trophy from winning the 1920 Men’s Singles title of Wimbledon Grand Slam. And it was auctioned at Christie’s auction house back in 1992.
Back then, it was sold at $71,500. That is worth around $900,000 today. And to date, this still holds the world’s record of most expensive tennis memorabilia sold at auction.
12. Babe Ruth 1934 World Tour Kit ($771,000 or $950,000 today)
I told you we’re going to talk about Babe Ruth, and not only once, but many times throughout this article. And we start it with this full-kit uniform from his World Tour in 1934. That year was the last year he played for New York Yankees, ending a more-than-a-decade legendary collaboration.
Perhaps you wonder, how could a baseball player’s uniform be in such a good condition? I mean, after all the sweats and dirt he had gone through, it should look at least a little shabby.
Well, this set of uniform was not worn for the entire season. Ruth wore it only for the off-season tour to Japan and some occasional exhibition games afterwards. Regardless, it is worn by Babe Ruth during his games. That was a good enough reason for a buyer to bid $771,000.
The auction took place back in 2005. Converted to today’s value, that is around $950,000. And it was one of the most expensive items sold at the Mastro Auctions that day.
11. Hank Aaron 755th Home Run Baseball ($650,000 or $1 million today)
By the time Babe Ruth was swinging his bat through victorious games during his last season with New York Yankees, Hank Aaron was born. He might not have grown up watching the Yankees legend, but he followed Ruth’s footsteps on his own story with Milwaukee baseball team.
More than forty years ago, as Milwaukee hosted a game against California, Aaron hit his 755th home run. That was the last of his career and remained as MLB record until it was broken ten years ago.
A groundskeeper named Richard Arndt recovered the ball days after the game. He insisted on giving the ball to Aaron himself, but the team declined and fired Arndt instead. Ouch. So, Arndt decided to auction it after having it signed by Aaron at a collector’s show.
Arndt sold the ball at an auction in 1999. It was a Westport Asset Management business owner, Andrew Knuth, who bought it for $650,000 (or around $1 million today). Aaron himself called Knuth to talk about the ball. The old man was also invited to Aaron’s 65th birthday along with President Clinton. I say that is $1 million well spent.
10. Babe Ruth 1932 Jersey ($940,000 or $1.17 million today)
The second item from Babe Ruth in our list is his 1932 jersey. It is more commonly known as the ‘Called Shot’ jersey. And that name tells its own story.
That day in 1932, as the Yankees was playing against Chicago Cubs, Ruth stepped up as a slugger. Before his swing, he pointed to the center-field bleachers. He did that twice after the first and second strike. Then, he swung his bat and sent the ball over 440 feet landing next to a flagpole in the section he pointed. One could argue, but it seemed like he called the shot indeed.
That was his 15th home run that season. It was an important shot since the score tied at 4-4. Even with the Chicago home crowd jeered and booed him, Ruth managed to stay calm and collected.
The jersey he wore that day, making that magical shot, hit the Grey Flannel Auctions back in 2005. One lucky buyer took this legendary jersey home for $940,000. That is approximately $1.17 million today.
9. Babe Ruth 1919 Contract ($996,000 or $1.24 million today)
Believe or not, this piece of contract was sold ten times the cost of signing Babe Ruth itself. This contract declares Boston Red Sox’s deal to sell Ruth to Yankees. This contract did a lot of things to a lot of parties. To Ruth, it meant new club and new start to his amazing career. To the Yankees, it meant $100,000 spent in exchange of one of the world’s all-time best. And to Red Sox fans, it was heartbreaking news.
But to Peter Siegel, it means the world. As the head of collectible items business, he knew what this contract means. So, when he heard it would hit the Sotheby’s auction house in 2005, he determined to take it home no matter how much it might have cost him.
$996,000 was how much it cost him. And it equals to $1.24 million today. But he said it was worth it. After all, he was willing to pay whatever price he needed to secure it.
The auction was short but intense. It lasted for fifteen minutes only. And after bid by bid, the crowd burst into cheers as the final hammer came down for Siegel. If you want to take a closer look at this five-page contract, you can go to his store, Gotta Have It Collectibles, in Manhattan where he displays it with pride.
8. Sheffield FC Rules, Regulations, & Laws Book (£881,250 or $1.34 million today)
Sheffield FC is the oldest club currently competing under football association. The club was founded in England nearly 160 years ago. At this point, you should get the idea that the older the item, the more valuable and collectible it is. Well, as long as it is in a good condition.
This rulebook was handwritten at the same year the club was founded. Yup, that is how old it is. But somehow, it is still on a good condition.
Nobody really knows who wrote the first ever instructions and rules to play football. But this Sheffield FC Rules, Regulations, & Laws Book of Football is definitely one of the earliest for this sport.
It hit the Sotheby’s auction house around six years ago. It was sold by the club itself (perhaps they were running out of spaces for archives). And one anonymous buyer won it with £881,250 bid. That is worth $1.34 million today. And to date, it remains the most expensive piece of memorabilia from European football.
7. Paul Henderson 1972 Jersey ($1.275 million or $1.4 million today)
He may not be as popular as Babe Ruth, but to Canadians, he is a national hero. He played right wing position for top hockey clubs in Canada and also the national team from 1962 to 1981. In total, he played more than one thousand games and scored more than three hundred goals.
In the 1970s, Canada and the Soviet Union were the best two nations in this sport. And they were scheduled to face each other on a prestigious match sanctioned by International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) during the 1970 international tournament. However, Canada chose to withdraw due to professional player limitation.
But to decide who the best in the sport was, Canada and the Soviet Union arranged a series of eight games. This was called the Summit Series. And it took place in 1972.
Canada won the overall head-to-head. And Henderson was the key to some of the nation’s victories throughout the entire series. He did all that in this jersey. It auctioned at the Classic Auctions around seven years ago. And the winning bid was $1.275 million or around $1.4 million today.
6. Babe Ruth First Yankee Stadium Home Run Bat ($1.265 million or $1.625 million today)
Here is another Babe Ruth memorabilia. And this one is indeed the one to remember. After signing the 1919 contract to remark his transfer from Red Sox to Yankees, Ruth’s legendary baseball journey was about to begin.
And Ruth’s first home run at the Yankees Stadium did not just mark his great early years with the club, but also a symbolic power transfer from Red Sox to Yankees which went along with his move. That home run took place in 1923. And in that particular year, Yankees won the World Series while Red Sox finished last. That was just a tip of The Curse of Bambino‘s iceberg.
In 2004, Sotheby’s held a special auction with hundreds of baseball memorabilia lots called The Babe Comes Home. One of which was the bat Ruth used to swing and hit that legendary home run.
Mastronet Inc., a memorabilia company from Chicago, bid the lot for $1.265 million on behalf of an anonymous buyer from New York. It did not break any record, but with $1.625 million of value today, that is still a hell of a sale.
5. Honus Wagner 1909 Baseball Card ($3.12 million)
There is more than one copy of this card sold for millions of dollars. The reason is Honus Wagner, a legendary baseball player in the 1900s. This card is so special that it is dubbed as the Holy Grail of baseball cards.
The T206 Honus Wagner card, also known as Jumbo Wagner, from the year of 1909 broke the world record every time each copy hit the auction. The first was recorded ten years ago as one copy was sold for $2.8 million (or around $3.3 million today).
Even though one of the two other copies of the card was sold for a higher price, this could have been the most expensive. However, this card raised controversies as it was believed to be trimmed. The owner of the card, Wayne Gretzky, was charged with mail fraud and the sale was reverted.
Four years ago, another copy hit the Goldin Auctions in New Jersey. This one was sold at $2.1 million. Then, a few months ago, it hit Goldin Auctions once again. And this time, it fetched $3.12 million.
4. Mark McGwire 70th Home Run Baseball ($3 million or $4.3 million today)
Mark McGwire is an infamous former MLB player, who is now working as a bench coach. Back in the 1980s, his baseball career was shining bright, both in club and national levels. Unfortunately, he used performance-enhancing drugs since those early years of his career.
Back then, the drugs he took were not prohibited by MLB. Only until 2004, they were classified as anabolic steroids. This scandal was a shame to American baseball. But it looks like that just adds even more value to McGwire’s memorabilia.
A few months after he confessed to taking the muscle enhancement product, the ball he hit for his 70th home run was sold at Guernsey’s auction house. Including buyer’s premium, the ball was sold at a staggering $3 million. That is around $4.3 million today.
More than three hundred people attended the Guernsey’s auction at Madison Square Garden that day. Among nearly one hundred bidders, ten of them were bidding by phone, including the lot winner. When asked about his name, the anonymous buyer said, “Tell them, I’m a heck of a baseball fan.”
3. Babe Ruth 1920 Jersey ($4.4 million or $4.6 million today)
Third on our list, the most expensive memorabilia from Babe Ruth is this jersey. Worn in 1920, this jersey is the oldest one ever worn by the legend. Even though it looks so simple, this jersey is a piece of American baseball history.
This jersey was previously displayed at The Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore for years before the auction. SCP Auctions is responsible for the world-record sale as it came out of the glass-box. And the buyer was Lelands company, or known as Lelands.com.
A spokesperson for the company said that they plan to sell the jersey privately to one of their clients who truly appreciate its historic significance. Well, after spending $4.4 million (or approximately $4.6 million today), that sounds about right.
This Babe Ruth memorabilia, and all of his others, are solid proofs of his greatness. Arguably, he was and still remains the best American baseball player in history.
2. Rules of Basketball ($4.3 million or $4.7 million today)
A piece of paper can be so valuable when it serves as an important piece of history. That is the case for this Rules of Basketball. As our runner up for most expensive memorabilia in sport, it is also the world’s 12th most expensive book.
Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. NBA teams are earning not just millions, but billions of dollars. And even the retired basketball legend, Michael Jordan, is still earning from his Air Jordan brand.
This sport was invented by James Naismith in 1891. He wrote the rulebook and started the basketball program in the University of Kansas where he worked as a head coach. That original rulebook, Rules of Basketball, was sold about six years ago for $4.3 million. It was December, 2010 to be exact. And today, that is worth $4.7 million.
Most of the rulebook was typed. But there are several James’ handwritten notes here and there on the pages.
1. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO ($38.1 million)
And the most expensive sport memorabilia goes to the world’s most expensive Ferrari car ever sold. It is arguably the best classic car this Italian manufacturer ever built. There were 39 units produced, but this Ferrari 250 GTO was especially made for the racing legend, Stirling Moss.
As it hit the Bonhams auction house in California, United States two years ago, it broke the world record as the most expensive car ever sold with $38-million bid. Yup, this Ferrari 250 GTO is not just Ferrari’s most expensive but the world’s in general.
This 1962 car’s initial retail price was only $18,000 per unit. Who would have thought that after several races and decades later, it could turn into the costliest car in the world?
This particular car is not just a classic vintage sports car. This car was driven by some of Ferrari racing legends, such as Jo Schlesser, Henri Oreiller, Paolo Colombo, Ernesto Prinoth, and Fabrizio Violati during GT racing series in the 1960s.
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