Enormous Prices for Sports Mementos
By Teresa Ambord
Imagine owning an item of sports memorabilia worth hundreds of thousands or even a million dollars. It seems incredible, especially when the intrinsic value may be a fraction of a cent.
Take a look at these examples:
- $1.265 Million
Take for example, the Honus Wagner T-206 tobacco card, which sold in 2001 for $1,265,000. These days, it is owned by Joe Orlando, the president of the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) in Orange County, California. What would make somebody pay so much for a scrap of cardboard? The Wagner card is extremely rare not just because it is old, but because Honus Wagner, who was a Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop from 1897-1917, demanded that the card be pulled from production. It seems Wagner was a strong anti-tobacco advocate who couldn't bear to see his face on a card promoting tobacco use. As a result, only 50 some cards exist today.
As thrilling as it is to own such a card or autograph, sports memorabilia experts say that the fastest growing element of the business is in items that have actually been used in games. These are part of history.
- $1 Million
When Barry Bonds hit his record 73rd homerun back in 2001, sending the ball out of Pacific Bell park, he probably didn't know that the ball would be the subject of a court case. But the ball, now valued at around $1 million is being fought over in court by two California men. Some say the reason the ball is considered so valuable is the polarization of America's feelings about Barry Bonds. Some love him while others hate him. Either way, the intensity of the feelings is good for the sports memorabilia market.
- $3 Million
Then there is Mark McGwire. His close competition with Sammy Sosa renewed the waning interest of fans in baseball. In 1998, he set the record for single-season home runs when he hit his 70th. The ball sold at auction for more than $3 million, to comic artist Todd McFarlane. Experts say it was the intense race between McGwire and Sosa that made the ball so valuable. In fact, that ball fetched the highest price ever paid for a single item of sports memorabilia.
You can see a picture of McGwire's 70th homerun here: McGwire's 70th
- $1 Million
Another treasure that is valued at a minimum of $1 million is the Babe Ruth 1923 bat. That was the year that the Yankees christened their new ball park, the Bronx Yankee Stadium, also known as "The House That Ruth Built." Ruth used the "1923" bat to hit a home run on opening day, and later autographed it to the winner of a youth home run contest. The inscription reads, "to the Boy Home run King of Los Angeles."
- $577,610
Other sports items that come with a high price include the bat known as "Black Betsy", used by Shoeless Joe Jackson before he was banned from game. The black bat sold at auction in 2001 for $577,610. It currently enjoys the highest value of any game used bat.
In spite of an amazing batting average, Jackson was banned from baseball when it was suspected that he helped "fix" the World Series in 1919 while he was third baseman for the Black Sox. Remakes are available from Louisville Slugger with the same approximate dimensions, that is, 36 inches long and just under 39 ounces.
More about Shoeless Joe Jackson: Joe Jackson FAQ
