During last year’s immense interest in “The Last Dance,” a pair of sneakers that Michael Jordan wore sold for a staggering amount. The ball that infamously bounced off Steve Bartman’s glove in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS was bought by Chicago restauranteur Grant DePorter and blown up for a publicity stunt at Harry Caray’s in 2004.
The controversial home run ball that allowed Barry Bonds to surpass Henry Aaron’s record of 755 career home runs was bought by fashion designer Marc Ecko. He used a black marker to add a large asterisk to the ball and later sent it to Cooperstown for display. The ball was originally auctioned off in 2008 when it was unclear if Bonds’ career was over. Eleven years later, it was resold at auction for only $282,900.
O.J. Simpson’s trophy from 1968 was sold in 1999 after he was ordered to sell his belongings to pay off $33.5 million in damages from his civil suit. The original owner then privately sold it to another collector in late 2019 for an undisclosed amount.
Actor Charlie Sheen originally bought Babe Ruth’s ring in 1994 for $225,000 and made out like a bandit when it was auctioned off in 2017. Sheen also sold a copy of Ruth’s sale contract from the Red Sox to the Yankees in the same auction for $2.3 million.
The gloves from Muhammad Ali’s famous “phantom punch” first-round knockout on May 25, 1965, were sold as a set in 2015. The buyer was not identified.
Jim Craig put up a lot of items from his famous run at the 1980 Olympics. While his gold medal did not sell after his reserve price was not met, his mask sold for $137,000.
Kansas alumnus David Booth bought the original rules of basketball, written in 1891 at a Massachusetts YMCA, for $4 million in a 2010 auction.
Curt Schilling put the sock he wore during Game 2 of the 2004 World Series up for auction in 2013.
The most expensive hockey sweater ever auctioned was sold in 2012. Paul Henderson wore the jersey for the national team while scoring the series-winning goal in the decisive contest of the 1972 Summit Series against the Russians.
Sales of the elusive Honus Wagner card have a long and illustrious past. The most it ever fetched at auction was $3.12 million in 2016.
The ball that Hank Aaron hit for career homer 715 was collected in the bullpen by pitcher Tom House, and it currently resides at the Braves’ SunTrust Park. The final home run of his career was hit two years later and sold at auction in 1996 for $650,000.
The jersey worn by Babe Ruth from 1928-30 was sold in 2019 for $5.6 million. It’s the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold at auction. The previous record was held by a 1920 Ruth jersey that sold for $4.4 million.
The ball that a hobbled Kirk Gibson hit to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series has never been found, but the bat he used to swat it sold for a cool $576,000 in 2010.
Written by a member of the Knickerbocker baseball club in 1856, a significant document was purchased by an anonymous bidder in 2016.
The final home run that Mark McGwire hit in 1998 was sold for a whopping $3 million to comic creator Todd McFarlane in 1999. McGwire’s single-season home run record would only last until 2001, when Barry Bonds hit 73.
Considered the crown jewel of post-war cards, the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (graded nine) sold for a whopping $2.88 million. There are three Mantle cards graded gem mint 10 that could go for over $10 million if ever sold.
A ticket to Michael Jordan’s first regular season game on October 26, 1984, sold for $33,000 in 2018.
A prototype putter that was gifted to Tiger Woods before the 1997 season sold for almost $23,000 in 2019.