Babe Ruth’s “Cold Shot” jersey from the 1932 World Series sold for $24.12 million over the weekend, becoming the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold. But what’s the most expensive game jersey in any other sport right now? Which item will break the record? And what will be the first women’s sports jersey to cross the $1 million mark? We asked the experts.
Most expensive jerseys by sport
Basketball: Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 Chicago Bulls Jersey — $10,091,000 (sold on September 15, 2022)
Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey will be on display in 2022. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
This held the record for the most expensive item of sports memorabilia (excluding trading cards) ever sold before it was surpassed by Ruth’s jersey. “The Last Dance,” a 10-part ESPN documentary featuring Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls, first aired in 2020 and further spurred an already strong interest in Jordan items and items related to the 1998 Finals. Two years later, the jersey worn by Jordan in Game 1 of the series featured prominently in “The Last Dance” was offered at auction.
Jordan scored 33 points in Game 1, but the Utah Jazz defeated the Bulls 88-85 in overtime. Yes, the most expensive sports memorabilia in the world for the past few years has been a jersey that Michael Jordan wore in a game he didn’t win. Of course, the Bulls went on to win the series 4-2 and claim their sixth and final NBA title in eight years.
Soccer: Diego Maradona 1986 World Cup quarter-final Argentina uniform — $9.28 million (on sale May 4, 2022)
Sotheby’s exhibition of Maradona’s 1986 World Cup uniform in London in 2022. (Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images, courtesy of Sotheby’s)
Before the Jordan jersey came along, this held the record for sports memorabilia… for a few months at least. Though it was “only” worn in the quarter-finals, Maradona performed not one but two of the most iconic gestures in soccer history while wearing it. In the second half of the quarter-final between Argentina and England, Maradona scored two goals in four minutes to break a scoreless draw. The first was a highly controversial style in which he jumped and smashed the ball into the England net with his hand. The referee thought Maradona had used his head instead of his hand and allowed the goal to stand. Dubbed the “Hand of God,” the goal remains one of the most talked-about and heatedly debated moments in World Cup history.
But that wasn’t the end of Maradona’s exploits. Soon after, he slipped through the English defense and scored an incredible run-on goal that epitomized his talent as a player, a goal that would later become known as the “Goal of the Century” and that fans still adore to this day. Argentina went on to win the game 2-1 and secure their second World Cup.
Maradona wore different uniforms for the first and second halves of the quarter-final against England, but the one sold in 2022 matched a photo of him scoring two goals in the second half. For reference, six of Lionel Messi’s uniforms worn when Argentina won the 2022 World Cup sold together for $7.8 million last year. Despite Messi’s immense popularity, the legend of Maradona and those two unforgettable goals still reign supreme among soccer uniforms.
Hockey: Wayne Gretzky 1988 Stanley Cup Game 4 Edmonton Oilers jersey — $1,452,000 (sold June 6, 2022)
Gretzky hoisting the Stanley Cup in 1988. (Photo by David E. Cruso/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
This was the last jersey that “The Great One” wore as a member of the Oilers before joining the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers. It was also the jersey he wore when the Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins in four games to hoist the Stanley Cup for the fourth and final time. That fourth game was a strange one, though. With the score tied in the second period, power went out at the Boston Garden, forcing the game to be stopped. Then-NHL president John Ziegler decided to play a rematch in Boston at the end of the series if necessary. Two days later, the series resumed in Edmonton, with the Oilers completing the sweep. Gretzky added one goal and two assists.
According to the listing from Grey Flannel Auctions, which sold the jersey in 2022, the jersey is “covered in champagne stains from the championship celebration, stick and puck marks, loose threads and multiple repairs on the sleeves.”
Football: Tom Brady 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers autographed jersey — $1.391 million (sold on Nov. 17, 2023)
Brady prepares to throw a pass in the final game of his NFL career (Photo by Kevin Savitas/Getty Images)
Brady threw for 329 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the Buccaneers’ 2022 NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, but it wasn’t enough. The Buccaneers overcame a 27-3 deficit to win the Super Bowl on their home turf, 30-27, as the Rams defeated them. But for Tom Brady, the Jan. 23 game in Tampa marked the end of a legendary career that included a record seven Super Bowl wins.
Unlike the aforementioned jersey, this one is autographed, and not only did Brady sign it, he also added a unique message to it, saying, “Last game and the GOAT is out!”
But despite that addition, and the fact that American football is by far the most popular sport in America right now, the record-holder’s football jersey sold for less than the records in baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey.Of course, another difference between this jersey and the others is that it has nothing to do with winning a title.
So, with new records being broken for sports memorabilia, what could possibly surpass the sales of Ruth’s jersey? And which women’s sports jersey could be the first to sell for over $1 million? The Athletic asked three industry experts for their thoughts.
What piece of sports memorabilia do you think could potentially break the record set by Ruth’s jersey in the future?
“Today, there are several trading cards that would surpass the price of this Babe Ruth jersey, including the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 10 (Mantle’s first Topps card, the highest grade available) and the famous T206 Honus Wagner (PSA 8). Both cards were featured on Netflix’s King of Collectables Season 2, and the Mantle card alone once turned down an offer of $28 million,” said Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions.
“As far as game jerseys go, I believe that if it were ever discovered, the actual jersey worn by Jackie Robinson when he made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, would easily surpass Ruth’s jersey. Robinson’s jersey is the most important jersey in American sports history because on that day he broke the racial barrier in baseball.”
“A more recent example might be the 1998 NBA Finals Game 6 jersey that Michael Jordan wore in his final championship game. As time passes since Jordan’s career-defining moment, we’re seeing more records broken for his memorabilia. We recently auctioned off a Michael Jordan autographed Logoman card from the 2003-2004 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection at Goldin for $2.928 million, a new record for a Jordan trading card.”
Grey Flannel Auctions Staff: “It’s hard to say with confidence that anything else will fetch that kind of price, but the market continues to be phenomenal. The Ruth auction shows that art and wine prices are headed in an upward direction. If anyone in particular can achieve that, it’s MJ. More specifically, the jersey he wore in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals would be worth a lot of money. In 2009, we sold Jordan’s first ever Bulls game jersey, which would fetch a pretty penny today. Bookends are really popular in the hobby.”
Bradley Calleja of Altan Insights: “It’s all about the moment. There are some amazing debut jerseys, like Jackie Robinson’s MLB debut Dodgers jersey, that would sell for millions if they were auctioned off, but the debut market can’t compare to the market for memorabilia tied to iconic moments.”
“Some that come to mind are the jersey Michael Jordan wore in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals when he scored the winning goal against the Utah Jazz, or the jersey he wore in Game 5 of his first championship in 1991. In the NFL and NHL markets, nothing can immediately compete with a Ruth jersey, and the soccer market has peaked, at least for now, with sales of the Hand of God and Messi’s World Cup jersey.
“Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point jersey has the same aura and mystique as Ruth’s jersey, but it’s a sure bet for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The most expensive piece of non-game-worn memorabilia is likely the Scotty Cameron Red Dot putter used by Tiger Woods throughout his legendary career. We’ve already seen Red Dot putters and Tiger’s irons sell for millions of dollars, but the Scotty Cameron Red Dot that Tiger used during his 13 major championship wins could easily sell for eight figures, although we don’t expect to see it at auction anytime soon.”
Which women’s sports jersey do you think will be the first to hit the $1 million mark?
Goldin: “Could you call it Caitlin Clark? She has stepped into unprecedented territory as an athlete and elevated the profile of the entire sport. The jersey she wore in that record-breaking game at Iowa would easily be worth over $250,000. As long as she continues to break basketball records, the value of her merchandise is limitless.”
Grey Flannel: “Unfortunately, prices haven’t reached this threshold yet, so it’s hard to say with any confidence. If Caitlin Clark does something bold on a big occasion, it will be exciting to see how the market responds. Honorable Mention: Brandi Chastain’s match-worn uniform from the 1999 World Cup.”
Calleja: “Unfortunately, the market for women’s match-worn racquets is almost non-existent at the high end. Match-worn racquets have had some notable success over the years – Bonhams sold Billie Jean King’s racquet from the Battle of the Sexes match for $125,000, for example – but there hasn’t been much success on the jersey side.”
“I think it’s something to do with Serena Williams. She has established herself as one of the greatest athletes of all time, male or female, and has had many iconic moments. One that springs to mind is the yellow Puma tank she wore in the 1999 US Open final when she won her first Grand Slam title. Another is the black Puma tank she wore when she beat Venus at the 2002 US Open, which came at a time when both sisters were great players and the US was dominating women’s tennis. There have been rumors of other items, such as a sports bra for Brandi Chastain, who appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Newsweek after the 1999 Women’s World Cup, but to date there is no substance in the women’s soccer market to justify nearly $1 million in sales.”
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(Top photo of Ruth’s jersey at Wrigley Field provided by Heritage Auctions)