News
Babe Ruth ‘Called Shot’ jersey generates big buzz, soars past $18 million in current Heritage auction
CLEVELAND—America loves a good conspiracy theory. JFK, the moon landings, UFOs, and Bigfoot. Who shot JR, and now who shot former President Donald Trump.
In sports, there's no better conspiracy than the mystery surrounding Babe Ruth’s controversial “called shot” home run against the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field.
With the score tied 4-4, Ruth twice made a pointing gesture as he stepped to the plate in the fifth inning, presumably signaling where he was going to hit the next pitch. With a 2-0 count, he hit a curveball off Charlie Root deep to center field for his second home run of the day. Though reporters at the time reported that Ruth had called his shot, there has been controversy for 92 years over what Ruth was actually doing. Was he pointing toward heckling players in the Cubs dugout? Was he pointing to taunting fans in the stands? Or was he really calling his shot against the Cubs and Root?
We may never know for sure, but the controversy has thrived for decades.
It is now reaching new heights as the New York Yankees jersey Ruth was wearing in the World Series game is now up for bid at Heritage Auctions.
The jersey has an estimated value of $30 million, which would shatter the all-time sports memorabilia record. UPDATE: With three days remaining in the auction, the jersey has a bid of $18.2 million (including the Buyer's Premium).
Heritage had the amazing jersey on display at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland this week.
While the hobby’s biggest show featured dozens of six- and seven-figure cards, including a rare $5 million 1909 T206 Honus Wagner, the Ruth jersey stole the show as collectors and hobbyists flocked to the Heritage booth to view the item that Heritage’s Chris Ivey calls “the finest piece of memorabilia in the hobby.”
“It’s a moment that’s been talked about for nearly a hundred years,” Ivey, Heritage’s director of sports auctions, said.
Ivey says the controversy surrounding the moment adds mystique and historical significant to the jersey, enhancing its value.
“The controversy about, did Babe call his shot, did he not, was he pointing to Charlie Root, was he pointing to the bleachers, was he pointing to the Cubs dugout? I love the fact that that question and that controversy is why people still discuss it to this day,” he said. “And we even have footage of Ruth pointing. We know that he pointed, but it’s real grainy. It’s almost like the Bigfoot footage. You can’t tell what he’s pointing at and what he’s saying, but all we know is that the next pitch that Charlie Root threw went over the center field bleachers estimated at 490 feet.
“We know this was the jersey he was wearing in that historic moment of our national pastime, and this is one of those incredible pieces that crosses over. It’s not just a sports collectible, but it’s part of our American history and our American heritage, and it also crosses over into pop culture.
“We don’t know where it’s going to end up, but this is the type of piece that would be featured beautifully in the Smithsonian.”
Two years ago, Heritage made headlines at the 2022 National in Atlantic City when it displayed the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card that carried at grade of SGC 9.5. The card generated a lot of buzz during the show, eventually selling for a record $12.6 million, the highest price ever paid for a sports collectible.
The Ruth jersey was attracting just as much buzz in Cleveland with media, fans and collectors viewing and photographing it at the Heritage booth.
“This is very similar, if not more,” Ivey said. “I think this jersey evokes a significant emotion out of a lot of people who see it. I hear a lot of people talking about the hair standing up on the back of their neck.”
Prior to The National, Heritage took the jersey back to Wrigley field, where it was displayed it at home plate, where Ruth hit the historic home run 92 years ago. Heritage allowed players and Cubs employees to view it inside the clubhouse and season-ticket holders also got a chance to view it.
“A lot of the staff at Wrigley got to see it,” Ivey said. “There are about 600 employees who work for the Cubs and when they let them know, ‘Hey, Babe Ruth’s called shot jersey is here for about an hour if you guys want to see it and come take photos,’ there were lines of hundreds of employees coming down to see it.”
The jersey was acquired by a well-known hobby pioneer around 1990 from a Florida women whose father played golf with Ruth during Yankees Spring Training near St. Petersburg. Ruth reportedly gave the jersey to his golfing buddy upon his retirement.
The gray jersey has an estimated value of $30 million and a current bid of $11.3 in the Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction that closes Aug. 23-25.
Ivey believes it could sell for even more.
“I think there’s 12 to 15 people that we are aware of who would pay around $15 million for it,” he said. “That’s the beauty of the auction process; it’s going to be a process of elimination as it goes higher from that number to see where it ultimately ends up. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see it sell for $25 million or I wouldn’t be surprised to see it sell for $50 million.
“I think whoever buys it is going to have the finest piece of memorabilia in this hobby. It’s like owning the Mona Lisa or one of the finest pieces of art.”
The auction also includes several other Ruth collectibles, from signed balls and cards to a painting of the “Called Shot” moment consigned by Ruth’s granddaughter.
Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD.
