Babe Ruth's 'called shot' jersey a jewel of online memorabilia auction
Babe Ruth's "called shot" Yankees jersey is up for bid online with an estimated value of $30 million. Credit: Ed Quinn
Deep pockets, a lightning-quick keystroke and knowledge of New York baseball lore can snare crafty online auction bidders some prized jewels of the sport this month, including one from its king: the Yankee jersey Babe Ruth wore on the day of his storied "called shot."
The road gray jersey with "New York" across the front, along with other memorabilia from the city's days as the center of the baseball world, is up for sale in an online auction through Aug. 25.
Dallas-based Heritage Auctions has listed more than 1,000 items up for sale, including the baseball Joe DiMaggio hit in game 50 of his record 56-game hit streak in 1941; a Mickey Mantle game-worn jersey; and Jackie Robinson's autographs, baseball cards and a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey he wore in 1951.
Highlighted items in the auction, which also includes not-baseball related memorabilia like a pair of Muhammad Ali's boxing trunks or Civil War era documents, can be viewed in person through Saturday at the Heritage Auction’s Manhattan offices on Park Avenue.
Valued at $500,000
Early 1930s Babe Ruth game-worn hat.
The Ruth jersey came "from one of the finest Yankees collections in the world," said Chris Ivy, director of sports collectibles for the auction house.
"This comes from different collectors and many items are fresh into the market," Ivy said. "It’s incredible to have all in one auction. It includes the Mount Rushmore of Yankees jerseys from Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle."
Buyers looking to outbid all the others should be prepared to pay a steep price. Ruth's "called shot" jersey, the much-debated relic of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, is valued at $30 million, with a high bid of $14.1 million as of Tuesday afternoon. The auction house anticipates the jersey will break its record for a top selling sports collectible — a Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle card sold in 2022 for $12.6 million.
Valued at $100,000
A baseball signed by Babe Ruth.
Ivy said a 1952 game-worn Mantle jersey, traced to the 1952 and 1953 World Series, comes from someone who bought it at auction 30 years ago and is now reselling it. The jersey is valued at $4 million with a current bid of $1.4 million.
The jersey was first acquired in the spring of 1955, when it was part of a charitable donation from the Yankees' spring training facility at Fort Lauderdale to an orphanage in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. An orphan named Bob Payne saved $2.50 from his $1.25 monthly allowance to buy the jersey from another child, Ivy said.
On its website, Heritage Auctions touts the jersey as being "photo matched" to both World Series.
Valued at $30 million
Babe Ruth “Called Shot” jersey from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series.
"This remarkable road gray flannel jersey was issued to Mantle for wear during the 1952 World Series competition ... and we find our first photograph of him donning the garment moments after the conclusion of that season and the Game Seven victory at Ebbets Field over the Yanks' perennial National League rival Brooklyn Dodgers," according to the website.
A Yankees cap Ruth wore is being auctioned for the first time by the family of pitcher William "Chip" Helmick, who never appeared in a major league game. The cap, which came from the same time period as the "called shot," is valued at $500,000. Far less expensive, but just as symbolic of the Yankee slugger's regal legacy, is the "Babe Ruth Crown," a gold-colored, red velvet crown awarded to Cleveland outfielder Rocky Colavito, "a man who is commonly found on lists of ballplayers considered to be deserving of a Hall of Fame plaque they currently lack," says a description on the Heritage Auctions website where it estimates the item's value as "$15,000 — up."
The auction also includes collectibles from early baseball's New York Giants, including a jacket worn by Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson. A collection of Super Bowl tickets is up for sale and signed by game MVPs, among them, Joe Namath, Phil Simms, Ottis Anderson and Eli Manning.
The Dallas-based Heritage Auctions has listed more than 1,000 pieces of sports memorabilia up for auction including items from when New York City was at the center of the baseball world.
Among the items:
- Babe Ruth's "Called Shot" jersey from Game 3 the 1932 World Series, valued at $30 million.
- A ticket stub from the game, valued at $15,000.
- A Babe Ruth game-worn cap, valued at $500,000.
- A 1938 Lou Gehrig game-worn jersey, valued at $7 million.
- Mickey Mantle's game-worn jersey from the 1952 and 1953 World Series, valued at $4 million.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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