Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees Jersey Smashes Record By Selling for $4.4 Million at Auction

How much would you pay for a piece of baseball history? In the case of a Babe Ruth jersey, a buyer shelled out $4.4 million — making it the most expensive sports memorabilia item ever sold.

The 1920 New York Yankees uniform top, sold Sunday by California-based SCP Auctions, is the earliest known jersey worn by Ruth, reportedly donned just after he was sold to the Yankees by the Boston Red Sox in 1919. Its $4.4 million selling price broke the record for most expensive sports item ever sold, topping the $4.3 million James Naismith’s founding rules of basketball fetched two years ago .

So, who wrote the big check?

Lelands.com, which said it would sell the jersey privately rather than put it back on the auction block. In a statement, company president Michael Heffner said, “Such a spectacular piece will find a home with one of our private clients who truly appreciates its historic significance.”

Other big-ticket items sold during the SCP Auctions event included Ruth’s 1934 New York Yankees cap for $537,000, Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor’s New York Giants 1990 Super Bowl ring for $230,000, and a Jackie Robinson 1950 All-Star game professional model bat for $133,000.

[ESPN]