This summer, baseball fans and collectors alike are eagerly anticipating the auction of one of the sport’s most mythical artifacts—the jersey Babe Ruth purportedly wore during his infamous “called shot” in the 1932 World Series. Heritage Auctions will showcase this gray road flannel, with an estimated value of a staggering $30 million, potentially making it the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever to change hands.
The jersey’s captivating saga dates back almost 92 years to a game at Wrigley Field where Ruth supposedly pointed to the stands before smashing a home run against the Chicago Cubs. This enduring tale, steeped in mystery and controversy, has woven itself into the fabric of baseball history. The jersey’s authenticity as the one worn by Ruth during that historic game has been corroborated by photo-matching analyses from two separate companies, adding a layer of intrigue and value to this iconic garment.
Initially sold in 2005 by Grey Flannel Auctions for $944,000, the jersey was originally consigned by the daughter of one of Ruth’s golfing buddies. Following its acquisition, the garment underwent meticulous conservation efforts by the Textile Conservation Workshop to mend a tear while preserving its original form. The jersey’s impeccable match to the style donned by the Yankees in 1932 further cements its historical importance and relevance within the realm of sports memorabilia.
Chris Ivy, the Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage, emphasized the extraordinary significance of Ruth’s World Series jersey within the sports memorabilia landscape. Ivy remarked, “Ruth’s World Series jersey is the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia to be offered at auction in decades. It will hold the record as the most expensive sports collectible ever to cross the auction block.”
The current record for the priciest sports collectible is held by a Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps card, fetching an astounding $12.6 million in a 2022 auction, coincidentally also hosted by Heritage Auctions. The highest sum paid for a Ruth jersey stands at $5.6 million, attributed to a circa 1928-1930 model auctioned by Hunt Auctions at Yankee Stadium in 2019.
The meticulous scrutiny of the jersey’s provenance and distinctive features, including button placement and specific stains, has been integral to its authentication process. Authenticators like MeiGray scrutinize these details, viewing each game-worn jersey as unique as a fingerprint. This rigorous attention to detail ensures that potential bidders have solid visual proof supporting the jersey’s claim to fame.
Ruth’s legendary home run not only marked a pivotal moment in baseball history for its theatricality but also for the enduring mythology it sparked. Despite conflicting reports about the incident, Ruth’s daring demeanor and stellar performance on that fateful day only added to his legendary status. The jersey will be exhibited at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland this summer, serving as a preview to the auction scheduled for August 23-25.
Beyond honoring a significant piece of sports history, this auction signifies the burgeoning market for high-value sports memorabilia, attracting a slew of collectors and enthusiasts eager to lay claim to a fragment of baseball lore.
