The Most Expensive Sports Collectibles in History

Replica shirts and other branded merchandise form steady streams of revenue for athletes and sports organizations. But think about the appeal of not just wearing your favorite sportsperson’s jersey number but owning THE shirt they won during a legendary match! Well, some fans do more than just imagine; they spend crazy money to do just that. Let’s dive in and look at some of the most expensive sports memorabilia in history. 

The Price of Every Drop of Sweat of Legends

Any sports fan’s collection has at least one commemorative jersey associated with their favorite player or club. An autographed one makes it even more valuable. The most expensive jersey sold at an auction was the NBA’s Michael Jordan jersey, which went for $10.1 million. This was the exact jersey he’d worn during the 1998 finals, his sixth and final MVP season. 

Second on the list is a jersey belonging to footballer Diego Maradona. Worn during the famous “Hand of God” moment, the jersey fetched $9.28 million in a 2022 auction. Maradona exchanged shirts with English midfielder Steve Hodge after that match, and the jersey exchanged hands over the years until the 2022 auction. 

Third on the list, we have Babe Ruth’s jersey which he won during his time with the New York Yankees from 1928 to 1930. The jersey sold for $5.64 million with Babe Ruth’s status as a record-setting legend raising the value. Some of his records are still unbeaten today. 

Jordan’s Dominance, Vintage Running, and Leo Messi’s Records

Footwear has also been included among the list of valued memorabilia, given its important role in the athletes’ movement. 

The highest-selling pair of shoes ever was a pair of Air Jordan 13s that Michael Jordan wore in the second game of the final series in his last MVP season. After the match, he gifted the shoes to a ballboy from the opposing team, and years later, they were the subject of a successful $2.2 million bid at an auction.  

In a drive for charity, Lionel Messi’s autographed boots went for $173,000. The Argentine legend wore the boots when he scored his 644th goal for Barcelona and broke Pelé’s record for most goals at a single club. 

Almost Priceless Tools for Athletes

In addition to shoes or jerseys, which are mandatory for almost every popular sport, some are famous for their own attributes – from unique “tools” to specific protective items. And there are record holders among them.

In American football, for example, one of the most expensive artifacts was the helmet of a Houston Oilers player, a team now known as the Tennessee Titans. In 2011, it was sold for $2 million at a charity event. 

Tennis paraphernalia is valued much less by collectors, on par with football boots. A racket used by Serena Williams during the U.S. Open in 2012 sold for $175,000. 

Baseball bats, on the other hand, are valuable. Largely because of our old friend Babe Ruth, who reigns in the sport like Michael Jordan on the basketball court. For example, the Louisville Slugger, or “First Baseball Bat,” that hit the first home run at Yankees Stadium in 1923, went for $1.265 million back in 2004, a record that has yet to be broken. Other bats in Root’s collection also sold for significant amounts: a 1929 bat sold for $1 million, a 1921 bat for $930,000, and a 1927 bat for $660,000.

Hockey sticks have proven to be in demand as well. In 2006, a hockey stick sold for $2.2 million. Interestingly, it is not associated with the name of any hockey legend.

Collectible Madness and Pure History

In general, sports memorabilia do not need to be in the hands or on the body of a great athlete at a certain moment in history to be worth millions of dollars.

For example, the most expensive sports memorabilia in history is the 1952 Topps trading card featuring Mickey Mantle, one of the most famous players in history and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. As of 2022, it was valued at $12.6 million while a Babe Ruth card sold for $7.2 million in 1994. 

A one-of-a-kind original manifesto of the Olympic Games, handwritten by Pierre de Coubertin, raised $8.8 million for the bidder to earn the rights just to touch it. De Coubertin’s handwritten paper is not alone. Along with it, the top unique relics include James Naismith’s “Basic Rules of Basketball” ($4.3 million) and Daniel Lucius Adams’ “The Laws of Baseball” ($3.2 million).

Finally, sometimes completely unexpected exhibits appear at auctions, the sale of which seems almost sacrilegious. For example, the WBC belt that Muhammad Ali received for the legendary fight “Rumble in the Jungle” with George Foreman on October 30, 1974, was sold for $6.18 million from Ali’s personal collection.