"The Natural," one of the best baseball movies of all time, turns 40 years old Saturday.
To celebrate Roy Hobbs, aka "the best there ever was in the game," and the rest of the New York Knights, cllct examines the best memorabilia surrounding Barry Levinson's classic movie.
The "Wonderboy" bat(s)
The "Wonderboy" bat, made from the tree that was struck by lightning as Hobbs' father was having a heart attack, plays a huge role in the film. There is not, as you might have suspected, just one "Wonderboy." Several versions of that "very special bat" were used in the filming.
Here is what we know:
The best "Wonderboy" bat, with the wood-burned "Wonderboy" logo, sold in June 2022 in a Prop Store auction. Photo-matched to the scene where Hobbs entered the dugout and placed the bat in the case, the auction house estimated this would sell for $15,000 to $20,000. It easily blew through those expectations and sold for $137,500.
In June of last year, the Prop Store sold a rehearsal "Wonderboy" bat, autographed by star Robert Redford and inscribed to aspiring young baseball player Chris Pollack, the son of the film's costume designer Bernie Pollack. That bat only got one bid, with the price ending up at $18,750.
Another bat sold last August at Julien's. With rather unimpressive details about where it came from, the bat somehow commanded an impressive $39,000 winning bid.
Another "Wonderboy" bat also resides in the National Museum of American History.
Uniform
Earlier this year, Heritage offered a New York Knights uniform made for "The Natural" and a jacket signed by Redford. There was no claim Redford wore the jersey, and the auction house disclosed that the jacket wasn't used in the film. Even still, the lot sold for an outrageous $81,250.
Gloves
A glove made for the Redford for the movie, but not photo-matched or confirmed to be used, sold for $7,040 in 2017. Another glove, said to be made for the Hobbs character, sold in 2023 for $11,250.
The glove, that Heritage says, was used by the actor who played Hobbs as a boy, sold in April 2017 for $7,767.
Cartoons
In the film, the newspaper writer Max Mercy is brilliantly played by Robert Duvall. Mercy famously drew cartoons of Hobbs, and three of them were auctioned off at Heritage in 2007. Some lucky buyer got an absolute steal by landing the drawings for $71.70.
Robert Redford autograph
Despite his longevity as a leading man, Robert Redford is not an easy autograph to collect. He's one of those actors where if I see an autograph, I assume it's fake.
For a certified autograph on a picture, expect to pay $200 to $300. For a real autograph on an authentic "The Natural" poster, that number is closer to $1,600 to $2,000.
Want a beautifully signed baseball with Redford on the sweet spot, prepare to pay at least $2,500 to $3,000.
Tickets and baseball cards
Hobbs baseball cards that were seen being printed in the movie, and tickets handed out to the extras for the fictional baseball games are both great-looking props. In fact, PSA has graded them, with a graded population of only 26.
But, buyer beware, they printed a ton of them. An uncut sheet of Hobbs cards sold for $4,500 in March, but I suspect there are a lot more that could turn up.
Fashion
Here's another buyer beware: There's a lot of Knights-branded stuff on the Internet that looks good in a picture and shows up as garbage. I would only go to one place for quality New York Knights apparel, and that's Ebbets Field Flannels. Yeah, it's on the expensive side, but it's worth it.
The best bang for your buck is the mesh batting practice jersey for $99.99, and the embroidered trucker hat for $34.99.
For Fun
There's some fabulous stuff on Etsy if you just want to get some cool "Natural"-inspired items such as Roy Hobbs on the cover of LIFE magazine or mini bats of both "Wonderboy" and the "Savoy Special."
The best item, though, comes from my guys at Prinstant Replays, who track the ball on famous plays and turn it into a poster. They did an amazing one for Hobbs' game-winning homer from the film's climactic scene.
Eddie Waitkus
How can you buy a piece of the real Roy Hobbs? Well, the truth is there isn't a real one.
But Eddie Waitkus is the closest to the fictional Hobbs. Waitkus was a veteran in 1949, when he was shot by a female stalker named Ruth Ann Steinhagen. "The Natural" author Bernard Malamud had to have that incident in his mind when he wrote the book just three years later in 1952.
Waitkus wasn't young like Hobbs when he was shot, and unlike Hobbs, who took years to return to the game, Waitkus was back playing for the "Whiz Kids" Phillies team by the start of the 1950 season. In fact, he was in lineup for Opening Day, when a young kid took the mic as the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His name? Vin Scully.
Waitkus wasn't ever as good as Hobbs, either. Based on all the details from the movie, one Internet pundit surmised that Hobbs' 1939 season included a .399 batting average, 35 home runs and 145 RBIs. Waitkus had 24 career home runs in 15 seasons.
Waitkus definitely gets the benefit from his "Natural" pop, meaning his cards do better than those who had similar stats in that era. Interestingly, three of his top 10 highest sales have come in 2024. His 1952 Topps card in a PSA 8 sold for $630 at Heritage Auctions in February, a record for that card. His 1952 Topps card in a PSA 1.5, with a grey back, sold in April for $397. And his 1951 Bowman in a PSA 8 sold for $324 in March, also a record for that card. It's a possibility that it's merely a bump from people trying to collect full sets at a higher price than ever before.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.