It may be a while until we see a month like August 2024 in the collectibles market. Not only were there an impressive amount of record-breaking sales in terms of quantity, but the quality and significance of the records completely reshaped the industry.
The top record sale of the month — and the most expensive sports collectible ever sold — was the Babe Ruth “Called Shot” jersey.
As we wrote in our comprehensive coverage over the weekend, the hammer fell early Sunday morning after hours of extended bidding.
Final price: $24.12 million.
While short of the $30 million estimate, it nearly doubled the previous record of the $12.6 million Mickey Mantle card sold two years ago.
Considering the massive expectations placed on the Ruth jersey, the far more shocking record may actually belong to the “Star Wars” Boba Fett prototype, which became the most expensive toy in history when it fetched $1.34 million at Goldin.
The toy has a legendary backstory and the rarity to go along with it. But even so, it was a shock when one sold for $525,000 earlier this year at Heritage — a record at the time. Even considering the unique variant and arguably superior features of the “mailer” example at Goldin, the hammer price coming in at more than double the last record sale was a stunner. Prior to this year, a rocket-firing Fett had never sold for more than $236,000.
More records came from the big weekend at Heritage of course, as the title of the world’s most expensive bat now belongs to a piece of lumber wielded by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in 1911. The $2.01 million sale surpassed the previous record of a Ruth bat brokered by Hunt Auctions in August 2023 for $1.85 million.
A fedora worn in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” became the most valuable “Indiana Jones”-related item to ever sell publicly, reaching $630,000.
Heritage yielded two additional jersey records in its three-day auction, establishing new highs for Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron.
Robinson wore the jersey in two consecutive World Series in 1951 and 1952, with its wear attributed to his stellar 1951 campaign, which saw him bat .338 for the year, and claim sixth in MVP voting. It sold for $5.52 million, over $1 million more than his previous record.
As for Aaron, whose memorabilia has always sat in a price bracket below Robinson’s, his rookie year gamer became the first piece of his memorabilia to clear $1 million, driving all the way up to $2.1 million. The jersey, matched to photos in the middle of the 1954 season, is a possible candidate for the very-first jersey ever worn by Aaron, considering the limited supply provided to players during that era.
Keen observers may double-take at the No. 44 sewn onto the jersey considering Aaron began his career wearing No. 5. But a closer look reveals the faint outline of the five, which was removed before equipment managers affixed the new number on the jersey for his sophomore season.
Though it wasn’t the biggest headline of the month, a new record has been set in the NFT world. The Tom Brady Gold Vinyl 1/1 from Panini’s 2021 Prizm NFL Football NFT release sold for $35,012, the most ever for a blockchain-only trading card.
It’s tough to call it a record as there aren’t many other sales in competition, but Kobe Bryant’s locker from the Staple Center selling for $2.88 million certainly qualifies for this round-up.
Other records of note:
- Willie Mays 1951 Bowman rookie card sells for record $391k
- Original Mickey Mouse animation drawing sells for record $72,000
- Peyton Manning rookie card sells for record $100k at Fanatics Collect
One of the largest video game auctions of the year, including some of the most coveted titles in the hobby, fell short of smashing any of the big records (“Legend of Zelda,” “Metroid,” etc.), though multiple results for top-pop games or fresh-to-market titles destroyed previous highs.
The single-highest graded hangtag copy of “Solomon's Key” sold for $25,000, crushing the previous record of $6,300. It’s the same story for “Kirby's Dream Land 3,” going for almost 10x its prior high and reaching $35,000, as well as “Metal Warriors,” an extraordinary rare title that cleared $30,000.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.