Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees jersey from his iconic “called shot” game in the 1932 World Series has set a new benchmark in the sports memorabilia world.
The historic jersey was auctioned at Heritage Auctions for an astonishing $24.12 million early Sunday morning, surpassing the previous record held by Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card, which sold for $12.6 million in August 2022, according to a recent press release from the auction house.
The jersey, which became the centerpiece of Heritage’s Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction, has become the most valuable sports collectible ever sold.
Ruth wore the jersey during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, famously pointing to center field before hitting a home run that is still celebrated as one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.
Professional Sports Authenticator and MeiGray Authenticated recently confirmed the jersey’s authenticity through photo-matching. They used images from Getty and The Chicago Daily News showing Ruth in the Wrigley Field dugout with teammates Lou Gehrig and manager Joe McCarthy.
After retiring, Ruth kept the jersey until he gifted it to a friend in Florida in the 1940s. It changed hands several times before being auctioned in 2005 for $940,000. It remained a prized possession in a private collection until its recent sale, according to Heritage Auctions.
Chris Ivy, Director of Sports at Heritage, referred to the recent sale of the “called shot” jersey as “the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia ever offered at auction.”
“It is clear by the strong auction participation and record price achieved that astute collectors have no doubt as to what this Ruth jersey is and what it represents. The legend of Babe Ruth and the myth and mystery in his ‘called shot’ are united in this one extraordinary artifact,” Ivy added.
Heritage Auctions, which has an office in Dallas, claims to be the largest fine art and collectibles auction house in the U.S. and the world’s leading collectibles auctioneer.
Ruth’s “called shot” continues to captivate imaginations nearly a century after the home run.
In the 1948 book The Babe Ruth Story, co-authored with journalist Bob Considine, Ruth described that home run as “the most famous one I ever hit.”