Ruth's 'called shot' jersey is a heavy hitter at auction

A few weeks ago, an old baseball jersey was brought to Wrigley Field. It came for one day, courtesy of the folks who run Heritage Auctions. The old jersey once covered the ample frame of Babe Ruth, arguably the greatest baseball player in history and a certifiable cultural phenomenon.

- RICK KOGAN

Ruth has been dead since 1948 and the jersey is being offered by means of an online auction. It is expected to go for as much as $30 million (U.S.).

The sports memorabilia business is big business. The previous record for a sports item is the $12.6 million paid in August 2022 for a "near perfect" 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. But "big" does not accurately describe what is transpiring with the Babe. The current bid for this 1932 Babe Ruth jersey, with a little more than a week to go, is $14.1 million.

That is not a misprint. That is what has already been bid on Lot No. 80162, formally described by the folks at Heritage as "1932 Babe Ruth Game Worn New York Yankees World Series 'Called Shot' Jersey, SGC Superior Photo Matched!"