Sports memorabilia is more than just a collection of a sport’s pride and history. They have enormous value within them and have grown into a million-dollar business industry in their own right. Sports memorabilia is available in a variety of sizes and shapes, including jerseys, cards, autographs, equipment, trophies, and much more.
Page Contents
- 1 The Top 12 Expensive Sports Memorabilia
- 1.1 12. Paul Henderson’s 1972 Summit Series Jersey
- 1.2 11. Joe DiMaggio’s Journal
- 1.3 10. Norman Rockwell Baseball Print
- 1.4 9. Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series Ring
- 1.5 8. Mark McGwire’s 70th Homerun Ball
- 1.6 7. Daniel Lucius Adams’ Rule of Baseball
- 1.7 6. James Naismith’s 1891 Rules of Basketball
- 1.8 5. Babe Ruth 1920 Jersey
- 1.9 4. Mickey Mantle 1952 Baseball Card
- 1.10 3. Babe Ruth 1928-1930 Jersey
- 1.11 2. Honus Wagner 1909 Baseball Card
- 1.12 1. Original Olympic Games Manifesto
Indeed, owning a piece of sports memorabilia is beneficial in both ways, whether as a memorial to a specific player or as a valuable addition to one’s collection. That is because you never know when its value will skyrocket. They may not only sell for a few dollars, but also hundreds, thousands, or even millions of dollars.
As the value of memorabilia has risen, it has become a lucrative business for elite traders. Here are the top twelve most expensive sports memorabilia items ever sold.
The Top 12 Expensive Sports Memorabilia
When we discuss the most expensive amount paid by people, you will gain a basic foundation to spend millions if you want to obtain a signed memento from your favorite player.
As we talk about it, we’ll start at the bottom of the list, which is in the top 12.
12. Paul Henderson’s 1972 Summit Series Jersey
Paul Henderson has always been best known for his historic hockey games. Among many of his great deeds and accomplishments, Paul scored the game-winning goal against the Soviets in the 1972 Summit Series.
As a result, the 19 number jersey he wore that day fetched a winning bid of $1.28 million at a Montreal-based auction in 2012. This jersey became the most expensive ever auctioned off in any sport back in the day, according to Marc Juteau, president of Classic Auctions.
In terms of his game history, his game-winning goal came in the final minute of the eighth and final game. Mitchell Goldhar, a real estate magnate from Toronto, purchased the jersey.
11. Joe DiMaggio’s Journal
Joe DiMaggio’s journal ranks 11th on the list of most valuable sports memorabilia. He was a former Major League Baseball center fielder who spent his entire 13-year career with the New York Yankees. He still holds the record for a 56-game hitting streak.
Meanwhile, he was a three-time MVP, an All-Star, and in 1955, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also became the greatest living player in the sport.
Anyway, they paid $1.5 million for his handwritten journal in black ink pen.
10. Norman Rockwell Baseball Print
Norman Rockwell’s baseball print “Tough Call” makes the top ten list. In 2017, they sold this print for $1.7 million. One of the umpire’s granddaughters kept it in her Texas home at the time.
They only discovered the print had been signed and inscribed later.
9. Babe Ruth’s 1927 World Series Ring
Mr. Charlie Sheen owns both the Ruth’s World Series ring and one of the most valuable pieces of Babe Ruth memorabilia. According to sources, Sheen purchased the ring in 1994 while filming Major League II with Josh Evans, the chairman and founder of Lelands.
He paid $225,000 for it at the time from one of the oldest auction houses. As time passed, the bid increased in value until it was finally sold for $2.1 million.
8. Mark McGwire’s 70th Homerun Ball
Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hit a total of seventy home runs in a single Major League Baseball season in 1998. As a result, baseball became one of the world’s most valuable sports memorabilia items.
Initially, Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions stated that it would cost between $250,000 and $300,000, while David Bohler of SCP Auctions stated that it would cost around $400,000.Anyway, comic book artist Todd McFarlane paid just over $3 million for the baseball.
7. Daniel Lucius Adams’ Rule of Baseball
When Daniel Lucius Adams was President of the New York Knickerbockers in 1857, he wrote baseball rules. This set of rules has served as the field’s backbone and has altered some of the game’s history.
However, this document was not discovered until later in 1999, when the owner brought it to the attention of SCP Auctions. It was sold for a total of $3,263,246.According to John Thorn, the Official Historian for Major League Baseball, Daniel Lucius could be considered the first among baseball’s founding fathers for this manuscript.
He went on to say that no baseball manuscript of this significance had ever been sold on the open market.
6. James Naismith’s 1891 Rules of Basketball
James Naismith drafted the 13 basketball rules on December 21, 1891. David and Suzanne Booth later purchased the rules. He worked as a physical education instructor at the Christian association during the course.
In fact, they purchased the rules for the University of Kansas. James used to write the rules and pin them to the college bulletin board. Later, in 2010, it was auctioned off for over $4 million to benefit charity. It aided the Naismith Foundation for Sportsmanship and underprivileged children worldwide.
5. Babe Ruth 1920 Jersey
It’s almost a given that Babe Ruth equals good money and value. So his 1920 jersey was sold at SCP Auctions in California. These basketball rules were sold for $4.4 million. It did, in fact, break the price record set by James Naismith’s 13 basketball rules.
This jersey was also on display at Baltimore’s Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum. Following that, the Boston Red Sox sold this jersey to the New York Yankees for $100,000 during the 1919 season. Babe Ruth is unquestionably the ‘king’ of sports memorabilia.
4. Mickey Mantle 1952 Baseball Card
When it comes to baseball cards, the choice is always between Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout. They recently sold Mickey Mantle’s mint condition 1952 Topps baseball card for $5.2 million.
The card was initially sold for $2.88 million in 2018, the second-highest price ever paid for a card. In addition, they sold it again in January 2021, making it one of the most expensive.
3. Babe Ruth 1928-1930 Jersey
Another piece of Babe Ruth’s classic sports memorabilia is his 1928-1930 New York Yankees jersey. Here, he even broke his own record, selling his 1928-1930 jersey for $5.64 million. This jersey is made of gray flannel and has the word “Ruth” stitched inside the collar. This suction price caught many people off guard.
“Babe’s collection has largely remained unknown to the general public, and we felt it was time to bring these incredible pieces of his life to light.”
Ruth’s granddaughter, Linda Ruth Tosetti
2. Honus Wagner 1909 Baseball Card
A T206 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $6.606 million in August 2021, making it the highest-selling sports card of all time. At the same time, a 20% buyer’s premium was added to the purchase.
In terms of specifics, this baseball card was sold by an East Coast collector. The card had previously been on display at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Illinois.
1. Original Olympic Games Manifesto
The original Olympics games manifesto, which sold for a whopping $8.8 million, is at the top of the list of the most valuable sports memorabilia. To be honest, many people expected this to sell for around $700,000 to $1 million at most.
Furthermore, Pierre de Coubertin wrote this document in 1892. Pierre was the founder of the International Olympic Committee. The document is fourteen pages long and includes peaceful games between the countries.
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