Babe Ruth’s ‘called shot’ jersey from 1932 World Series sells for record $24.1m

The jersey that legendary baseball player Babe Ruth wore when he “called the shot” – and batted a home run – during game 3 of the 1932 World Series has sold for a record-setting $24.1m (£18.1m) with Heritage Auctions.

The sale makes the jersey the most expensive sports collectible to ever be sold at auction. The jersey in question, belonging to the late New York Yankees star, was last auctioned in 2005 for $940,000. But at the time the item was only linked to the 1932 World Series, and not directly to the famed episode where Ruth pointed his bat to the outfield stands before he hit a home run into center field off Chicago Cubs pitcher Charlie Root.

The gesture was interpreted as Ruth pointing out where he was going to soon hit the ball.

Multiple companies had since matched the jersey to the one Ruth wore during the third game of the series at Wrigley Field, which exponentially increased its value. It was Ruth’s final home run in a World Series.

Ruth retired from baseball in 1935 and died at 53 years old in 1948.

He is widely regarded as the best baseball player of all time. Ruth won three World Series with the Boston Red Sox before he was traded to the New York Yankees at the end of the 1919 season and went on to win four more World Series titles.

The previous record for sports memorabilia was held by the auction of a 1952 rare mint condition Topps baseball card of Mickey Mantle, which sold for $12.6m in 2022. The previous most expensive jersey to have been sold at auction was a Michael Jordan jersey from the 1998 NBA Finals, which sold for £7.64m ($10.1m) in 2022.

When it was announced in May that the Ruth jersey would be auctioned, Heritage’s director of sports auctions, Chris Ivy, predicted the item could sell for as much as $30m.

“This is essentially the Mona Lisa. It’s s a very mythical moment that crosses over not only in baseball history, but American history, pop culture history,” Ivy told ESPN in an interview. “We’re still talking about it 100 years later, which is one of the reasons why I think it’s the most significant piece of sports memorabilia in the world. When it hits that new record, high tide raises all boats. I think more people are going to be interested in this hobby.”

The identity of the record-breaking Ruth jersey’s buyer has not been publicized.