By Score More
NEW YORK, August 25, 2024 — The jersey baseball legend Babe Ruth wore during his iconic “Called Shot” in the 1932 World Series has become the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold at auction. The historic jersey fetched an astonishing £18.1 million ($24.12 million), far surpassing the previous record of £9.53 million ($12.6 million) set in 2022 for a 1952 Topps baseball card featuring New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle.
The prior record for a jersey sold at auction was held by basketball legend Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls shirt from the 1998 NBA Finals, which sold for £7.64 million ($10.1 million) in 2022.
Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, described the jersey as “the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia ever offered at auction.”
Babe Ruth wore the jersey while playing for the New York Yankees during Game Three of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. Ruth famously “called the shot” in that game by pointing towards center field before hitting a home run off Cubs pitcher Charlie Root.
The Yankees won the game 7-5, and the home run marked Ruth’s final one in a World Series. Widely regarded as the greatest baseball player of all time, Ruth won the World Series seven times. He retired in 1935 and passed away in 1948 at 53.