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15 Most Expensive Sports Memorabilia Ever Sold

Sports Memorabilia is a symbol of honor and esteem to the sports industry and sports players. There is a solid reason to hold this memorabilia, and collecting the same is important. Certain things will be very much worth it in the upcoming era.

Sports Memorabilia refers to the souvenirs or tokens associated with sports. Memorabilia which is rare, were traded among prestigious buyers and sellers for millions. The market for sports memorabilia is booming. Many items were traded for millions very recently.  There are many platforms for prospective buyers who wish to buy sports memorabilia.

This article will give an insight into the sports memorabilia which is termed to be the most expensive.

1952 Topps Mickey Mantel Card

Source: people.com

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantek Card was traded for $12,600,000 in 2024. This card belongs to Famer Mantle. It was the Baseball Hall of his rookie season. The seller bought this for $50,000 in 1991. Later it was traded through Heritage Auctions by grading Mint +9.5 out of 10.

Micheal Jordan Jersey

Source: cnbc.com

Micheal Jordan wore Jersey in the NBA finals of 1988. It was traded for auction for $10.091 million. In this match, he won the last title, which was the sixth one. It was also his last season with the Chicago Bulls.

Shirt of Diego Maradona – 1986 World Cup

Source: antiquestradegazette.com

The Shirt worn by Maradona of Argentina was traded at an auction in 2024 for £7.1 million. The match was between England and Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals. The goal he hit was termed as “Hand of God” goal.

1920 Jersey of Babe Ruth

Source: si.com

Babe Ruth Jersey was traded for $4.415 million. He was the best basketball player with good recognition that people memorized him. Jersey was placed in Baltimore, Bab Ruth Birthplace Museum. Joshua Leland Evans brought this for auction. He assured everybody that he would get a private acquirer rather than auction it.

1891 Laws of Basketball – James Naismith

The basketball laws formulated by James Naismith were auctioned for $4.3 million. At Springfield International YMCA Training School, he laid down thirteen laws of basketball for the athletes. He designed indoor games for harsh winters to make the athletes active and fit. Also, they should have injuries during the springtime. The investor was David Booth. He identified that it should belong to the University of Kansas.

Baseball Card of Honus Wagner- 1909

This baseball card was very significant and auctioned for $3.12 million. Honus Wagner sold the card first for $2.8 million in 2007. He was the third among the battling titles and won eight titles in his entire career.

Mark McGwire -70th Home Run Ball

The home run ball of Mark McGwire was traded for $3 million. Mark McGwire was playing for St. Louis Cardinals. He made a record of seventy home runs in a particular season.

1972 Jersey of Paul Henderson

Source: glorydayscollectibles.com

The Jersey of Paul Henderson was traded for $1.275 million. Canadians have been playing ice hockey from the early stages. Paul Henderson was the best ice hockey player. His Jersy was the most costly one sold at that time.

Henderson wore it in the series of the first summit, where the match was between Canadians and the Soviet Union. He played well and made the team win in the last thirty-four seconds of the game. So Canada won around seven matches out of eight.

Thus Henderson became the prominent player who led the team to victory. The jersey was part of the Canadian hockey memorabilia after the auction.

Babe Ruth -First Yankee Stadium Home Run Bat -1923

$1.265 million was the traded value of the Home Run Bat of Babe Ruth. It was his first game and first home run bat in Yankees Stadium. The bat he played has become superstitious.

Sheffield Football Club – Laws

Sheffield Football Club is one of the former football clubs in the world in Derbyshire. The rules and regulations were the manuscripts made in 1858. It was traded for $1.24 million in 2011.

Rookie Card of Upper Deck LeBron James

The rookie card belonging to LeBron James was sold for £4.2 million in 2024. It was the most overpriced card with the reputation on the Upper Deck collection set. James is one of the excellent players and won many championships. With the James jersey number, there are only 23 copies of the rookie card.

Floyd Patterson-  Muhammed Ali  Fight Gloves- 1965

Source: catalog.scpauctions.com

The gloves of the battle between Floyd Patterson and Muhammed Ali were traded for $1.1 million. The battle between them was more historic than boxing in 1965. Patterson declared that Muhammed Ali achieving the title would be a non -American getting recognized.

The fight was there for twelve lengthy rounds. During the sixth round, Patterson drained out. For the remaining rounds, Ali was provoking the opponent. Ali won the fight, and it was a victory for Civil Rights Evolution in America.

Rules of Baseball by Daniel Lucius Adams

Like James Naismith, Daniel also laid down the laws for baseball sport. It was sold for £2.6 million in 2016. Daniel formulated the laws in 1857 when he was part of the New York Knicks. It acted as a guideline for 14 New york teams which formed a basic set of regulations for the sport.

Yankees Contract of Babe Ruth 1919

Babe Ruth agreed to the contract in 1919 with the Yankees based in New York. It was traded for $996,000.

Babe Ruth evoked breaking records in the initial year itself. He was a pitcher and later changed to an outfielder. He played for fifteen seasons with the Yankees. He overcame his own records in the subsequent months. He became one of the highly paid players and extended his Yankees agreement in 1922.

FA Cup

Source: goal.com

The FA cup traded for $956,000. It is also called as Football Association Challenge Cup. It is one of the former soccer competitions across the globe. The first season of the FA cup happened in the 1871-72 season.

Regional clubs were trendy among English people. They made four trophies. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal grabbed the cup, and the other one was sold to a buyer who did not want to disclose their name.

Conclusion

It is very well understood that memorabilia in the sports domain has a huge impact in the market. It has become a prospective investment opportunity. There are experts who will evaluate items based on its history and authenticity. So it builds a trust among the buyers to acquire the reliable one.