Top 10 most valuable HR baseballs: Shohei Ohtani's 50th now No. 1

Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball is now the most valuable baseball in history.

The ball sold for a whopping $4,392,000 at Goldin Auctions on Tuesday night, officially making the ball Ohtani hit into the left-field stands Sept. 19 at loanDepot Park in Miami the new record-holder for a milestone baseball.

Here's a look at the top 10 most valuable baseballs, updated to include the new champion.

1. Shohei Ohtani's 50th HR ball (2024): $4,392,000

Ohtani founded the 50-50 Club in style, becoming the first major-leaguer to ever amass 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season.

The Dodgers superstar accomplished the feat in one of the most impressive individual hitting performances in the history of the game, going 6-for-6 with three HRs, 10 RBIs and two steals.

Ohtani's second homer of the game, an opposite field blast in the seventh inning, made history in the MLB record books ... and now tops the memorabilia charts as well.

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2. Mark McGwire's 70th HR ball (1998): $3.05 million

McGwire’s record-setting 70th homer was caught by Philip Ozersky, a research scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. At the time, Ozersky was earning $30,000 per year. He was offered a trade for the ball: In return, the Cardinals would give him a signed bat, ball and jersey. Ozersky said he wanted to meet McGwire, who declined.

Months later, Ozersky sold the ball at Madison Square Garden via Guernsey’s Auctions for $3.05 million, a sports memorabilia record at the time.

The buyer was later revealed to be comic book creator and artist Todd McFarlane.

Darren Rovell and Will Stern talk about why Shohei Ohtani's 50th ball sold for a record price.

3. Aaron Judge's 62nd HR ball (2022): $1.5 million

Judge’s 62nd home run of the 2022 season, which established an American League record, sold at Goldin Auctions for $1.5 million.

The seller, a Texas man named Cory Youmans, told ESPN he had previously turned down a $3 million offer for the ball.

4. Babe Ruth's 1933 All-Star Game ball: $805,000

During the first official MLB All-Star Game in 1933, the first home run was appropriately hit by Babe Ruth. Waiting in the right-field stands that day was Earl Brown and his future wife, Mae Swoverland. Brown managed to knock the ball out of the air and snag it from under his seat. The couple tried to have Ruth sign the ball after the game, but to no avail.

Luckily, the next time the Yankees were in town to play the White Sox, they were able to position themselves close enough to the field to have Ruth sign the ball.

Brown kept the ball in his possession for decades before passing it down to his grandson, who later consigned the ball for auction in 2006, selling for $805,000.

5. Barry Bonds' 756th HR ball (2007): $752,467.20

Bonds’ 756th home run, which surpassed Hank Aaron’s all-time record, was sold at SCP Auctions/Sotheby’s for $752,467.20.

The seller was a 21-year-old student named Matt Murphy, who caught the ball at AT&T Park on Aug. 7, 2007. The buyer would later be identified as fashion designer Mark Ecko.

6. Hank Aaron's final HR ball (1976): $650,000

Hammerin' Hank's final home run was caught by a member of the Brewers’ groundskeeping crew, Richard Arndt. He reportedly had intended to return the ball to Aaron with hopes of meeting the slugger, however, after refusing to hand the ball over to a middle man, the Brewers fired him.

Decades later, the ball was sold at the same auction as McGwire’s 70th. Although the ball failed to meet its original reserve price of $850,000, an agreement was reached to sell the ball for $650,000.

7. Barry Bonds' 73rd HR ball (2001): $517,500

Bonds’ single-season record 73rd home run ball was caught by a restauranteur named Alex Popov, though he ultimately was forced to split the earnings from the eventual sale with another fan present in the crowd that day due to disputed ownership.

The ball eventually sold to McFarlane, the same collector who purchased McGwire’s 70th homer, for $517,500.

8. Barry Bonds' 762nd HR ball (2007): $376,612

The final home run of Bonds’ career sold for $376,612 in 2008. It was first sold by the fan who caught the ball, but it was never formally authenticated as there was a perceived mix-up. In 2019, it sold again, this time for $282,900.

9. Albert Pujols' 700th HR ball (2022): $360,000

Pujols’ 700th homer sold for $360,000 via Goldin Auctions. The fan who caught the ball, Marlowe Leal, had it authenticated at Dodger Stadium and later consigned the ball to Goldin, where it sold less than two months later.

10. Barry Bonds' 500th HR ball (2001): $303,000

Bonds’ 500th home run ball sold for $303,277 via SCP Auctions in November 2021.

Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.

Top 10 most valuable HR baseballs: Shohei Ohtani's 50th now No. 1

Ohtani milestone sells for $4,392,000, surpasses Mark McGwire's 70th HR ball for record