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Babe Ruth’s 1932 “Called Shot” Yankees jersey holds the highest publicly reported auction result identified here: $24.12 million at Heritage Auctions on August 25, 2024. That is higher than the record-setting sports-card sale that followed in 2025, but the evidence available does not establish a reliable, apples-to-apples ranking of 15 items. The examples below are notable reported sales, with auction results, private transactions and collection totals clearly distinguished.
What is the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold?
The highest publicly reported auction result identified is the $24.12 million sale of Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees road jersey at Heritage Auctions on August 25, 2024. The jersey was photo-matched to Ruth’s famous “Called Shot” moment in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. Heritage described it as the world’s most valuable sports collectible; the BBC independently reported the result. Heritage sports director Chris Ivy called it “the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia ever offered at auction”—an auction-house representative’s judgment, not an independent ranking. Heritage’s sale announcement gives the lot’s details.
A newer record for a sports card does not change the overall auction result: a dual-autograph Michael Jordan–Kobe Bryant Logoman card sold for $12.932 million in 2025, less than the Ruth jersey’s price.
Notable high-value sports memorabilia sales
This is a set of sourced examples, not a definitive top 15. The transactions are not directly interchangeable: some are public auctions, one is a reported private sale, and one price covers a group of items. The amounts below are reported sale prices, not current valuations.
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| Reported price and date | Item and transaction | What the figure represents |
|---|---|---|
| $24.12 million — 2024 | Babe Ruth’s 1932 “Called Shot” Yankees jersey; Heritage Auctions | One jersey, photo-matched to Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. Heritage sale announcement. |
| $12.932 million — 2025 | One-of-one Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant dual-autograph Logoman card; Heritage Auctions | One card; Heritage said it surpassed the previous auction record for a sports card. Heritage sale announcement. |
| $12.6 million — 2022 | 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card; Heritage Auctions | One card; the previous sports-card auction record before the 2025 Jordan–Bryant result. The cited Heritage release covers both results. Heritage release. |
| $10.1 million — 2022 | Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals; Sotheby’s | One game-worn jersey. Sotheby’s sports memorabilia page. |
| About $9.3 million — 2022 | Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt; Sotheby’s | One shirt; the cited source reports an approximate amount. Sotheby’s sports memorabilia page. |
| $7.8 million — 2023 | Six Lionel Messi shirts from Argentina’s 2022 World Cup run; Sotheby’s | Total for a set of six shirts, not the price of one shirt. Associated Press report. |
| $7.25 million — 2022 | Honus Wagner card; private sale | A reported private transaction, not a public auction result. The Washington Post report. |
| Nearly $6.2 million — 2022 | Muhammad Ali’s reclaimed heavyweight belt from the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” | The Washington Post reported this approximate figure; the sale format and exact amount are not established here, so it cannot be placed precisely in a ranking. The Washington Post report. |
| $5.246 million — 2025 | 1960 Mickey Mantle game-worn and signed Yankees jersey; Heritage Auctions | One jersey; Heritage described the result as a world-record jersey price at the time. Heritage sale announcement. |
| $3.721 million — 2025 auction results reported in 2026 | 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card graded PSA NM-MT 8; Heritage Auctions | One card in that grade; Heritage described the sale as a record for the grade. It is a different copy from the $12.6 million Mantle card. Heritage results announcement. |
| $2.9 million — 2024 | Kobe Bryant’s Staples Center locker; Sotheby’s | One locker, according to the Associated Press. Associated Press report. |
Why these prices are difficult to rank
Auction prices and private-sale reports are different evidence
A public auction result identifies a transaction conducted through an auction house; a reported private sale does not provide the same public record. The $7.25 million Wagner-card figure is reported as a private sale, while the Ruth, Jordan–Bryant and Mantle card figures above are auction results. Mixing them can be useful for context, but it does not produce a uniform leaderboard.
A single object is not the same as a collection
The $7.8 million Messi result covers six shirts sold together. It should not be compared as though one shirt sold for that amount. Likewise, the prices of cards, jerseys, a belt and a locker describe different categories of collectible, not a common measure of equivalent items.
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Provenance and the moment behind an object matter
The Ruth jersey’s photo-match to the 1932 World Series moment gives the sale a specific historical connection. The Jordan jersey is tied to Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, while the Messi group represents Argentina’s 2022 World Cup run. Such details help explain why an individual lot attracted attention; they do not establish a general market value for comparable memorabilia.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why a “top 15” list would overstate what is known
The reported examples do not support 15 consistently scoped, independently comparable positions. They combine auction results, a private sale, an approximate reported amount and a multi-item lot; they also span distinct collectible categories. Filling the remaining places by selecting other impressive sales would imply a verified ranking that these sources do not establish. A defensible leaderboard would require a defined rule—such as public auctions of single items only—and verified records for every position.
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