Nancy No sport is more American than baseball. Baseball fans aren’t afraid to put their money in and pay an exorbitant price for a memory associated with the game’s big names.
That is, as the game dates back to the late 1700s, it evokes feelings of nostalgia and joy in many. Known as America’s national pastime, baseball has produced a rich array of stories and superstitions, such as the Curse of the Bambino.
So it’s not surprising that some baseball players have become legends due to the sport’s universal popularity. An offshoot of the growth of these legendary baseball players in the growth of the baseball memory industry. As more people want to get their hands on something to remember their favorite stars, the rising value of certain collectibles has reached stratospheric levels.
1- Don Larsen shirt from H is a perfect match
If you still don’t know or don’t understand so much about baseball history. Don Larsen was the first and only player to hit a no-hitter in a World Series game. It was the fifth game of the 1956 World Series when Larsen threw Dale Mitchell a high fastball.
Even though Larsen has a spectacular and highly consolidated career, his perfect game is a record that has never been broken.
However, in 2012 looking to raise money for his grandchildren’s college funds, he sold the shirt he wore when he released his perfect game. Steiner Sports conducted the auction, and although company executives said the bids could reach $2 million, the shirt sold for $756,000. While it’s not a record, three-quarters of a million are not negligible and put it in tenth place on that list.
2- Babe Ruth home run ball in 1933
Babe Ruth made the first home run of the MLB All-Star Game in 1933. Earl Brown, watching the game from the stands at Comiskey Park in Chicago, caught the ball and two weeks later got Ruth to sign it.
Thus, William Brown inherited the ball from his father, Earl, who died in 1965. William held it until 2006 when his wife was ill. The family, including William’s two grown children, then decided it was time to sell.
In addition, the ball was put up for auction by Hunt Auctions, and an unidentified private buyer paid $805,000 which included $105,000 in commission for the ball.
3- Babe Ruth 1934 complete uniform
A baseball uniform consisting of a gray wool shirt with a red “3” sewn into the back, gray pants, and dirt-stained socks is perhaps the only complete uniform still worn by Babe Ruth. It was sold at a 2005 auction for around $771,000 and is probably worth a lot more these days.
Recently on display at the World of Little League Museum in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, its owner has never been revealed.
4- Babe Ruth Bat’s first home run at Yankee Stadium in 1923
Babe Ruth’s bat used to hit the first home run against the Boston Red Sox at the opening of Yankee Stadium on April 18, 1923, was sold in 2004 by SCP Auctions in California.
So Babe Ruth gave the baton to the Los Angeles Evening Herald. The paper later sponsored a school-home run hitting contest, which Victor Orsatti won. In other words, his prize was the bat. When Orsatti died in 1980, he left the bat to his caretaker. After twenty-four years, the janitor gave SCP the baton to auction off, which sold for $1,265 million.
Babe Ruth had inscribed at-bat “To Home Run King of Los Angeles boy, “Babe” Ruth, NY May 7, 1923. for its existence of the bat, but also for its incredible beauty, which above all has a definite aura about it.
5- Babe Ruth’s 1918 contract with the Boston Red Sox
While the initial contract between Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox was worth only $5,000, the document itself was sold at a 2014 auction for $1.02 million. The person who purchased the contract wished to remain anonymous.
