Babe Ruth’s ‘called shot’ Yankees jersey smashes Mickey Mantle record at auction
A New York Yankees jersey that belonged to Babe Ruth sold for a record $24 million at auction, per ESPN. Ruth wore the jersey while making his famed “called shot” home run in the 1932 World Series. It was the first time the jersey was available for sale in almost 20 years.
“This is essentially the Mona Lisa. It’s s a very mythical moment that crosses over not only in baseball history, but American history, pop culture history,” Heritage Auctions’ sports auctions director Chris Ivy said, per the outlet. “We’re still talking about it 100 years later, which is one of the reasons why I think it’s the most significant piece of sports memorabilia in the world. When it hits that new record, high tide raises all boats. I think more people are going to be interested in this hobby.”
Heritage Auctions handled the sale of the iconic jersey. The actual selling price was $24.12 million. The completed sale makes the piece of clothing the most expensive sports collectible ever sold.
The story of the 1932 World Series Babe Ruth jersey
“This stuff is a great conversation starter as opposed to, you know, buying more IBM stock, investing in real estate — a lot of people feel like they were kinda maxed out on those things,” Ivy added. “[The clientele] runs the gamut, you know, attorneys up to team owners. Team owners are interesting: They love the history of the game, owning stuff like this. They’ve invested and spend a good amount of their time on their sports.”
Other items that have fetched a fine price include Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers uniform. That went for more than $5 million, per ESPN. A 1952 and 1953 World Series jersey from the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle sold for $3 million. The Ruth “called shot” sale blows those previous financial numbers out of the water.
The new owner of the jersey is being kept a secret. Ruth played for the Yankees from 1920-1934. He was part of four World Series teams in New York. Ruth also played for the Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves in his career. He also spent a season in 1938 coaching the Brooklyn Dodgers.
