THE Most Expensive Sporting Memorabilia Ever Sold

Sporting memorabilia can come in many different forms: cards, cups, collectibles, photos, equipment, title belts from boxing legends, jerseys worn by titans of a sport and of course, SO much more. Even a mundane item that had the luck to be merely TOUCHED by a famous athlete can become a top-notch, valuable piece of memorabilia in hot demand. 

Crazier still, sporting memorabilia has fetched more than a pretty penny for investors over the years. Collectors have forked out literal fortunes to get their hands on an item connected to a favorite sports star. Some of the most top-shelf sporting memorabilia ever sold cost more than a private island. Read that again. Moving right along…

The Laws of Baseball: Sold for $3.2 million in 2016

At 23 pages, this document doesn't look like much, but within it is a piece of sporting history that is unlike anything else. Authored in 1857 by Daniel "Doc" Adams, a baseball player and executive, the Laws of Baseball is exactly what it sounds like: the first written example of the modern rules for the game. 

Adams was part of the National Association of Baseball Players, the first organization governing the game, president of the New York Knickerbockers and was instrumental in recording the rules that exist in the game to this day. The Laws of Baseball is an important piece of sporting history and sold for $3.2 million in 2016. Not bad.

The Founding Rules of Basketball: Sold for $4.3 million in 2010 

Another important document in the history of a favorite American pastime, James Naismith's Founding Rules of Basketball sold for $4.3 million in 2010. At two pages long, it's a relatively short read compared to the similar Laws of Baseball. As the name suggests, it was penned by James Naismith, a physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach at the University of Kansas. 

Naismith originally published his rules in the Springfield College school newspaper, the Triangle. An original copy signed by Naismith was kept at the Naismith International Basketball Foundation until 2010, when it was won at an auction by basketball fans David and Suzanne Booth, who paid $4.3 million for it. The Booths donated the rules to the University of Kansas, where Naismith worked for 40 years. 

At the time of the sale, it was the highest priced sports memorabilia ever sold. Fun fact: a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln was only bought for $3.7 million at the same auction. Turns out people were more interested in this bougie basketball document. 

Babe Ruth Memorabilia: Sold for $4.4 million, $5.64 million and more over the years 

A name synonymous with baseball, famed Yankees player Babe Ruth is remembered as one of the GOAT, and easily one of the more recognizable. Pretty much anything the man has touched will fetch big dollars (see - TOLD ya.) 

As was the case when his World Series ring and trade documentation between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees sold at auction for a combined $4.4 million in 2017. One of his jerseys, specifically the one from his 1928-1930 season, went for $5.64 million in another auction. Any gear used by Ruth during his storied career has been proven to fetch considerable sums time and again. 

Kobe Bryant’s 2007-2008 Lakers Jersey: Sold for $5.8 million in 2023

Speaking of jerseys, Sotheby's held an auction for Lakers basketball legend, the late great Kobe Bryant’s jersey from the 2007 to 2008 season. An anonymous buyer/mere mortal forked out a cool $5.8 million for the chance to own it. According to the auction description, Bryant wore the jersey for 25 games, scoring 645 of that season's 2,452 points.

2009 Stephen Curry Rookie Card: Sold for $5.9 million in 2021

Point guard for the Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry is regarded as one of the greatest shooters in the NBA, nailing 3 pointers unlike anybody else in recent memory. His success with 3 pointers is often credited with inspiring other teams and players to take more of these shots. When an autographed rookie card, his 2009 Stephen Curry 1 of 1 Rookie Card to be exact, came up for auction in 2021, it broke records, selling for a hefty $5.9 million. 

Muhammad Ali’s 1974 WBC Heavyweight Championship Belt: Sold for $6.18 million in 2022

Like many other sports stars whose gear sold for large sums, Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali, was one of the best to ever compete in his sport. As a boxer, he was nearly unbeatable; as a trash talker, he was unstoppable, pioneering the art for future generations of fighters.  

Anything he touched, signed, or looked at will fetch a larger than average price tag. In this highly lucrative case, his WBC Heavyweight World Title sold for $6.18 million in 2022. An important part of boxing history, Ali won the belt after taking out unbeaten champion George Foreman in 1974 during the event billed as the Rumble in the Jungle, one of the most famous boxing shows ever held. 

T-206 Honus Wagner Baseball Card: Sold for $7.25 million in 2022

A baseball player you have probably never heard of, Honus Wagner, was one of the best shortstops in the game during his playing years from 1897 to 1917. He won more than a few accolades, but arguably among his most significant achievements is being the featured player on one of the rarest and most valuable baseball cards in existence.

A 1909-1911 T-206 Honus Wagner Baseball Card sold for $7.25 million at auction in 2022. With only an estimated 50 or so still around, any T-206 Honus Wagner card in good condition is worth a great deal. In 2021, another sold for $6.6 million. 

Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic Games Manifesto: Sold for $8.8 million in 2019 

Anyone who watched the Paris Olympics this year has one man to thank: Pierre de Coubertin. The French aristocrat delivered a speech in 1892, pushing to revive the ancient worlds’ Olympic games, calling for an event where countries send their best athletes to compete in games of skill and endurance. Coubertin detailed his idea in a manuscript, arguing the games could benefit both athletes and society as a whole by bringing people together, overcoming differences and fostering democracy. 

He must have been very convincing because the Olympics soon came along. Only two years after Coubertin’s speech, the International Olympic Committee was founded. The modern Olympic Games debuted in Athens in 1896, 15 centuries after the last ancient Olympic Games, and have persisted ever since. The Olympic Games Manifesto went missing for years until it was found in the possession of a collector in Switzerland. It later sold at a Sotheby's auction for $8.8 million in 2019. 

Diego Maradona’s 1986 World Cup Jersey: Sold for $9.28 million in 2022

Diego Maradona scored many goals throughout his career, but no two are remembered more than those scored during the 1986 FIFA World Cup Tournament Quarter Finals. One, known as the Hand of God, is remembered for its controversy. In essence, Maradona scored a goal by knocking it with his hand into the net. 

It was a blatant handball. However, without the benefit of instant replays and other modern tech, the referee made the call, a goal for Argentina, leaving the rival English team trailing 1-0. Debate still rages to this day about whether the goal should have been allowed. The second was far less controversial. 

Fresh off his Hand of God goal, Maradona scored again only a few minutes later by sprinting past four English defenders in a 60 yard, 10 second dash. A casual feint left the opposing goalkeeper, Peter Shilton down and out, and was the icing on the cake that became known as The Goal of the Century. Argentina won the game 2-1, thanks to Maradona. As a result, the jersey Maradona was wearing commanded a high price when it sold at auction for $9.28 million in 2022. 

Michael Jordan's Pretty Much Anything: Sells for a lot! All of the time 

Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, anything related to Michael Jordan seems to fetch a huge sum. The rarer, the better. In February of this year, a set of six individual Air Jordan sneakers, known as the Dynasty Collection, sold for over $8 million. Some spensie soles right there. However, one of the biggest sales ever was his 1998 NBA Game 1 Jersey, which sold for a completely non eye-twitching $10 million in 2023. 

1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 311 Card: Sold for $12.6 million in 2022

Another baseball player with a claim to the greatest of all time, Mickey Mantle, also has a claim to the most expensive sporting memorabilia ever sold. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle 311 Card sold through Heritage for an eye-watering $12.6 million in 2022. Its high price was spurred by its rarity, with an unknown number still in existence. At the time, experts were awed by its excellent condition and documented provenance.