The most expensive sports memorabilia of all time

In a selfless and philanthropic act, Patriots owner Robert Kraft auctioned off his Super Bowl LI ring last week to benefit the "All In Challenge," which is endeavoring to eliminate food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ring was bought by an anonymous collector for an eye-popping $1.025 million.

It may seem hard to believe, but here are five items of sports memorabilia that have sold for more.

5. Paul Henderson 1972 Jersey ($1.275 million)

Paul Henderson scored the game-winning goal for Team Canada against the Soviet Union in the deciding eighth game of the first-ever Summit Series (Canada won the series 4-3-1). His game-worn No. 19 jersey sold at auction for $1.275 million to Toronto real-estate magnate Mitchell Goldhar in 2010. 

4. Mark McGwire’s 70th Home Run Ball ($3 million)

A Cardinals fan named Phil Ozersky caught Mark McGwire’s then-record 70th and final home run of the 1998 season. He asked to meet McGuire before returning the ball to the team, but the slugger rudely turned him down. Instead, Ozersky sold the ball to the highest bidder ($3 million), becoming an instant millionaire.

3. T206 Honus Wagner 1909 Baseball Card ($3.12 million)

Not to be confused with "The Card" once owned by Wayne Gretzky and most recently sold to Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick for $2.8 million in 2007, the so-called "Jumbo" T206 Honus Wagner card fetched an eye-popping $3.12 million at auction in 2016. 

There are estimated to be just 50 of these cards in existence due to Wagner’s refusal to allow the American Tobacco Company to use his image, either because he didn’t want children to buy cigarettes or he wanted more compensation.

2. James Naismith’s Rules of Basketball ($4.3 million)

James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, wrote down the first 13 rules of the game in 1891 while at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, MA. The groundbreaking two pages of print were auctioned at Sotheby’s in 2010, where they fetched $4.3 million, benefitting the Naismith International Basketball Foundation.

Buyer David Booth, a Kansas University alumnus, felt strongly that the rules belonged at the school where Naismith himself founded a basketball program, and that’s where they presently reside.

1. Babe Ruth 1928-1930 Jersey ($5.64 million)

Babe Ruth memorabilia is very rare and highly-coveted, so it’s not surprising that one of his game-worn jerseys is the priciest piece of sports merchandise of all-time. The gray garment was snapped up in 2019 by an anonymous buyer for the staggering sum of $5.64 million.

A 1920 Yankees jersey worn by Ruth, purchased by sports memorabilia mogul Joshua Leland Evans in 2012, owned the record for priciest item in this category at $4.415 million for several years before being surpassed. 

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