Sports heroes have entertained us for over a century. Athletes become larger than life as they break records and cement themselves in the history of their sport. Of course, fans want to get as close to the heroes as possible, which sometimes means owning prized memorabilia. The rarer the collectible, the higher the price tag; these are some of the most expensive collectibles.
1. Colin Kaepernick’s Signed 49ers Debut Jersey
Colin Kaepernick stormed into the public spotlight as the all-star rookie quarterback for the San Fransisco 49ers. He had an amazing run to the start of his career, leading his team just seconds away from a Super Bowl victory. He later became known for his social activism and advocacy for equality. His rookie-signed jersey was sold to a fan for $128,000.
2. Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl XXV Ring
Very few defensive players in the National Football League struck fear in their opponents more than New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Unfortunately, off the field, Taylor had some financial and health issues. He ended up bankrupt and was forced to sell some of his possessions, including his Super Bowl ring, for $230,000.
3. Tom Brady’s Worn Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey
The most Super Bowl-winning quarterback of all time is a man named Tom Brady. The man won a total of seven Super Bowls throughout his career. He practically owned the NFL for two decades. In his final year, he sold one of his final game-worn jerseys for $484,000 and donated the proceeds to charity.
4. Hank Aaron Baseball no.755 Home Run Ball
Hank Aaron was the all-time home run leader until Barry Bonds broke the record almost 30 years later. The 755th home run ball was the last homerun the famous slugger hit in his career. The ball was caught and sold for $650,000 to a fan who had it signed and donated most of the proceeds to a local charity.
5. Barry Bonds Baseball no.756 Home Run Ball
Barry Bonds is the all-time leader in career home runs. The slugger beat out the previous home run king Hank Aaron with his 756 career-long ball. The lucky fan caught the ball and sold it for more than the previous home run king’s ball, which was $752,000.
6. Babe Ruth’s All-Star Game Ball (1933)
Babe Ruth will be a familiar name on this list of expensive sports equipment. The man was the greatest player to play the sport. In 1933, Major League Baseball held the first-ever all-star game in which Babe Ruth hit a home run. 73 years later, the owner of the ball sold it for a grand total of $800,000.
7. Lou Gehrig’s Bat (1922)
Teamed with the great batter Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and the New York Yankees were one of the more dominant baseball teams to take the field. Lou Gehrig was a rookie who quickly became one of the greatest hitters of all time. His career was cut short by illness, but not before he racked up a Hall of Fame career. The bat he used as a rookie was sold for just over $1 million.
8. Muhammad Ali’s Fight Gloves (1965)
Muhammad Ali fought former Heavy Weight Champion Floyd Patterson in 1965. Ali won the fight in the 12th round by a technical knockout. A lot of fans and collectors seek out anything with the former champion’s name on it. The gloves Ali used to win this fight were sold for just over $1 million.
9. Paul Henderson’s 1972 Summit Series Jersey
Paul Henderson of the Canadian National Team scored one of the most famous goals in hockey history. The goal helped Canada be the heavy favorite Soviet Union team in the series’ final game. The game-worn jersey by star player Paul Henderson was sold for a grand total of $1.28 million.
10. Wayne Gretzky’s Final Edmonton Oilers Game Jersey
Wayne Gretzky is no doubt the greatest hockey player of all time. After all, his nickname is “The Great One.” The face of the National Hockey League helped the Edmonton Oilers win their fourth Stanley Cup. A signed jersey that was worn by Gretzky hoisting the Stanley Cup was sold for $1.4 million. Some say that the jersey still has beer and champagne stains.
11. Jesse Owens 1936 Olympic Gold Medal
Track and Field star Jesse Owens became an American hero during the 1936 Olympic games. During the rise of Nazi power, German leader Adolf Hitler was sure that his fellow citizens would dominate the games. Boy, was he wrong? Jesse Owens was the star after the games, and one of his medals was sold for a total of $1.4 million at auction.
12. Michael Jordan Rookie Shoes
There is a famous story about shoe brands trying to sign the young phenom basketball player Michael Jordan. When Jordan signed, he helped build Nike into the gigantic brand that it is today. The original Nike Air Ships designed by Bruce Kilgore went on to be some of the most coveted shoes on the market. The original shoe sold at auction for $1.47 million.
13. Mark McGwire Baseball
In 1998, baseball fans got to experience one of the greatest home run races in the history of the sport. Mar McGwire and Sammy Sosa kept fans on their feet throughout the year as they tried to break the game’s historic record, the most home runs in a single season. McGwire eventually broke the record and hit a total of 70 before the season ended. That ball sold at auction for $3 million in 1999.
14. The 1857 Laws of Baseball
Baseball has captured our nation’s interest for over a century. The game has been coined the “Nation’s Pastime.” Some of the most expensive sports collectibles are baseball-related. In 1857, Doc Adams wrote down some of the earliest known rules of the sport that would eventually become baseball. The manuscript was sold for $3.2 million in a 2016 auction.
15. LeBron James’ 2013 NBA Finals Jersey
Ever since Michael Jordan retired from the National Basketball Association, the face of the league has been passed to Lebron James. He has been the best basketball player for the past twenty years. James and the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs to win the finals. The game-worn jerseys cost a fan $3.6 million.
16. Kobe Bryant’s 1996 Jersey
No other basketball player was more ferocious and determined than Kobe Bryant. Nicknamed the “Black Mamba,” the fearless scorer helped the Los Angeles Lakers win four championships. He is regarded as one of the top ten players in the history of the NBA. Sadly, he passed away in 2020. His 1996 jersey with his original number 8 was signed and sold in 2021 for $3.7 million.
17. The 1891 Rules of Basketball
Basketball inventor James Naismith was trying to find a new sport his students could play during the cold winter months in Massachusetts. He developed the original 13 rules for the sport that would grow to become basketball. Today, basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. The original notes for the game, written in 1891, sold at a charity event for $4.3 million.
18. Babe Ruth’s 1920 Jersey
Babe Ruth is considered the greatest baseball player of all time. He was larger than the sport, and at one point, he famously had a higher salary than the president of the United States. He was the all-time home run leader for the better half of the 1900s. His rookie jersey was a huge collector’s item for baseball historians. The jersey sold for $4.4 million in 2012.
19. Wilt Chamberlain’s 1972 NBA Finals Jersey
Wilt Chamberlain dominated the National Basketball Association during his time in the league. He is famous for scoring 100 points in a single game, a record that might never be broken. A jersey worn by Wilt in his lone NBA Finals MVP series over the New York Knicks set the then-record for a jersey sale at $4.9 million.
20. Babe Ruth’s 1928–1930 Jersey
Not to be outdone by Babe Ruth’s rookie jersey, the jersey he wore during the 1928 to 1930 seasons earned an even bigger price tag. The Ruth estate allowed a small portion of Ruth’s memorabilia to be bid on, and Jersey was one of the biggest sellers. An anonymous collector won the rights to the jersey for a price of $5.64 million in 2019.
21. Signed Kobe Bryant 2007–08 MVP Jersey
The second Kobe Bryant jersey to make a splash at auction was his MVP jersey from 2007-2008. Kobe was wearing the jersey when it was announced he won the award during game 2 of the playoffs against the Utah Jazz. The jersey sold for more than his rookie jersey at a 2023 auction for $5.8 million.
22. Muhammad Ali’s WBC “Rumble in the Jungle” Belt
Muhammad Ali was more than just the world’s greatest boxer. He was a cultural icon and has become one of the most recognizable men in the history of the world. In 1974, one of the biggest matches of all time had Muhammad Ali pinned up against George Foreman. The undefeated George Foreman was knocked out by Ali in the eighth round, earning him a Championship. The prized belt was sold to a boxing collector for just over $6 million.
23. Diego Maradona 1986 Hand of God Shirt
Diego Maradona has done more for the sport of soccer internationally than almost any other soccer player. The Argentinian soccer star helped his country win the 1986 World Cup against Britain. The match was famous because Maradona’s goal might have been a handball, causing him to state that the “Hand of God” helped him make the goal. The jersey was sold for $9.3 million to some happy soccer fan.
24. Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Finals Jersey
Arguably, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time, if not one of the greatest athletes of all time. The man won six world championships and racked up a ton of records and awards. The 1998 NBA Finals was the last time the world got to see Jordan win. The game-worn jersey is one of the prized collectibles of fanatics. The Jersey just sold in 2022 for a grand total of $10.1 million.