Two years ago, I tried to make a list of the most expensive baseball items ever sold.
It became a complete pain in the ass. Feel free to read it below and then come back here and laugh.
Top 20 Most Expensive Baseball Items
Editor’s Note: This was written years ago, an updated blog can be found here.
Auctions contradicted themselves. Articles contradicted other articles. It was a mess. So naturally, I asked ChatGPT to do deep research and scrape the internet for me. Well, this was two years ago, and ChatGPT made more mistakes than that. Still, it got me all the top sales; I just had to do the heavy work.
Two years later, the sports collectibles market is insane, so we need another list. The original article was a Top 20. There are now too many legitimate multimillion-dollar sales to stop there, so this is officially a Top 25.
The Rules
The prices below are the highest documented sale prices I could verify as of August 14, 2026.
A few ground rules:
Prices are listed in dollars at the time of the sale. I am not adjusting for inflation. (This isn’t the movies, people)
Buyer’s premiums are included when the reported sale price includes them.
Estimates, asking prices, rewards, bounties, and unsold lots do not count.
Only the highest verified sale of the same card issue appears. We do not need eight different copies of the T206 Honus Wagner or 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle.
Different card issues count as different items. Different game-used jerseys count as different items. Separate one-of-one Ohtani cards count because they are separate cards. If you have an issue, cry about it.
This measures the highest documented price ever paid, not what the item would necessarily sell for today. There are some cards here that, on the market right now, would explode, and some would go down in price.
That last point matters. The same 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card that sold for $7.2 million in December 2023 returned to auction in October 2025, where it sold for approximately $4.026 million. It remains on this list at $7.2 million because that is the highest completed sale associated with the card. If we were doing “values,” then this list would be completely different.
Cry about it.
#25: Shohei Ohtani’s 2018 Topps Chrome SuperFractor — $2,562,229
Sale: Goldin, June 29, 2026
The cutoff for this list is now more than $2.56 million. When I wrote the original blog, the cutoff was $1.26 million.
This one-of-one 2018 Topps Chrome rookie SuperFractor depicts Ohtani as a hitter and was graded BGS 9.5. It sold for $2,562,229 through Goldin in June 2026.
#24: Lou Gehrig’s 1937 Yankees Road Jersey — $2.58 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions, August 2019
Lou Gehrig wore this gray New York Yankees road jersey during the 1937 season, when he hit .351 with 37 home runs, 159 RBIs, and a 1.116 OPS.
The uniform survived more than eight decades before selling for $2.58 million in 2019. At the time, it set a record for a Gehrig jersey, which was later surpassed, as we will see below.
#23: Jackie Robinson’s 1947 Rookie Jersey — $2.6 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions brokered the resale, April 2018
The jersey comes from the season in which Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s modern color barrier, won Rookie of the Year, and helped Brooklyn reach the World Series. It is not merely a uniform from a famous player. It is a surviving artifact from one of the most consequential seasons in American sports history.
#22: Lou Gehrig’s Final Yankee Stadium Appearance Jersey — $2.712 Million
Sale: Christie’s and Hunt Auctions, October 22, 2025
Gehrig wore this jersey during his final appearance in uniform at Yankee Stadium, when he was introduced before Game 2 of the 1939 World Series.
This was new to me, as I always thought his final appearance was the “Luckiest Man Alive” speech.
The jersey sold for $2.712 million in October 2025, becoming Gehrig’s second entry on this list.
T-20: Mickey Mantle’s 1952–53 World Series Jersey — $3 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions, August 2024
This Mantle jersey was photo-matched to Game 7 of the 1952 World Series and connected to the Yankees’ championship run the following season.
The jersey sold for exactly $3 million.
T-20: Shohei Ohtani’s 2025 Topps Chrome Gold Logoman Autograph — $3 Million
Sale: Fanatics Collect, December 19, 2025
The one-of-one card contains a gold MLB Logoman patch and Ohtani’s autograph. The patch was worn on April 29, 2025, when Ohtani homered for the Dodgers.
It sold for $3 million in December 2025, briefly giving Ohtani one of the largest modern baseball-card results ever recorded.
#19: Mark McGwire’s 70th Home Run Ball — $3,005,000
Sale: Guernsey’s, January 1999
Todd McFarlane paid a $2.7 million winning bid, plus commission, for the ball McGwire hit for his 70th and final home run of the 1998 season.
The completed price reached $3,005,000.
At the time, McGwire’s home run chase with Sammy Sosa was credited with helping revive national interest in baseball after the 1994 strike.
This is one of the items that would NOT sell for that price today.
#18: Mickey Mantle’s 1951 Bowman Rookie Card — $3.192 Million
Sale: Memory Lane, December 2022
The 1952 Topps Mantle gets most of the attention, but the 1951 Bowman is Mantle’s actual rookie card.
This PSA 9 copy sold for $3.192 million in December 2022. At the time of the sale, only nine examples had received a PSA 9 grade, with none graded higher by PSA.
There is a PSA 10 of this card. Apparently, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick owns it. Doutbtful we see it sell anytime soon.
#17: The 1857 “Laws of Base Ball” Documents — $3,263,246
Sale: SCP Auctions, April 2016
These documents were connected to the 1857 convention of New York-area clubs and belonged to Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams, one of the most important early figures in the sport's formal development.
Among other things, the convention helped establish nine players per side, nine innings, and bases separated by 90 feet.
The papers sold for $3,263,246 in 2016. Fun fact: they are currently on display in Cooperstown. I saw them at the induction ceremony about a month ago.
#16: Shohei Ohtani’s 2018 Bowman Chrome Batting SuperFractor — $3.365 Million
Sale: Fanatics-brokered private transaction, July 14, 2026
This one-of-one 2018 Bowman Chrome batting variation SuperFractor, graded BGS 9.5, sold privately for $3.365 million.
#15: Mike Trout’s 2009 Bowman Chrome SuperFractor Autograph — $3.936 Million
Sale: Goldin Auctions, August 2020
For a short time, this was the most expensive sports card ever sold.
The one-of-one 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects SuperFractor autograph was graded BGS 9 with a 10 autograph. It sold for $3.936 million in August 2020, surpassing the T206 Honus Wagner.
It remains the most expensive Mike Trout item publicly documented. (duh)
#14: Jackie Robinson’s 1950 Home Jersey — More Than $4.2 Million
Sale: Hunt Auctions private treaty, August 2021
This photo-matched 1950 Brooklyn Dodgers home jersey sold privately for more than $4.2 million.
The precise amount was not disclosed.
That creates a ranking problem. The next item sold for $4.212 million, so the Robinson jersey could technically belong above it. I am placing the jersey here conservatively because $4.2 million is the only usable public figure.
This jersey also sold in 2012 for $400,000. Nuts.
#13: Babe Ruth’s 1933 Goudey Card — $4.212 Million
Sale: Memory Lane, July 2021
The 1933 Goudey set contains four different Babe Ruth cards. This copy of card No. 53 was graded PSA 9 and sold for $4.212 million.
There is only one PSA 9 of this card, with zero PSA 10s ever graded.
#12: Shohei Ohtani’s 50/50 Home Run Ball — $4.392 Million
Sale: Goldin Auctions, October 23, 2024
On September 19, 2024, Ohtani became the first player in major-league history to hit at least 50 home runs and steal at least 50 bases in the same season.
The home run that completed the achievement came during an absurd six-hit, three-homer, 10-RBI game against the Miami Marlins.
The ball sold one month later for $4.392 million, including buyer’s premium. It surpassed McGwire’s 70th home run ball as the most expensive baseball ever sold.
Ohtani did in one month what the rest of the sport had failed to do in 25 years: knock the McGwire ball out of the top spot.
#11: Babe Ruth’s Circa-1920 Yankees Road Jersey — $4,415,658
Sale: SCP Auctions, May 2012
This road jersey dates to approximately 1920, Ruth’s first season with the Yankees, and has been described as the earliest known Ruth Yankees jersey.
It sold for $4,415,658 in 2012, setting what was then a record for sports memorabilia.
#10: Mickey Mantle’s 1958 Yankees Jersey — $4.68 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions, August 19, 2023
Mantle wore the jersey throughout the 1958 season, and it had been matched to multiple photographs.
Mantle hit 42 home runs, led the American League with 127 runs and 129 walks, finished fifth in MVP voting, and helped the Yankees defeat the Milwaukee Braves in the World Series.
#9: Aaron Judge’s 2013 Bowman Chrome SuperFractor Autograph — $5.2 Million
Sale: Fanatics-brokered private transaction, March 12, 2026
Judge’s one-of-one 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft SuperFractor autograph, graded BGS 9.5, sold privately for $5.2 million in March 2026.
It had previously sold for $324,000 in 2022.
#8: Mickey Mantle’s 1960 Signed Game-Worn Jersey — $5.246 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions, August 23, 2025
This signed Mantle jersey was photo-matched to 13 images from the 1960 season, including the second 1960 All-Star Game.
Mantle hit 40 home runs, led the American League in runs, and won his fourth home run title that season. He also hit three home runs during the World Series, although Bill Mazeroski’s Game 7 walk-off prevented another Yankees championship.
#7: Jackie Robinson’s 1951 Jersey and 1950 Pants — $5.52 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions, August 2024
This lot is commonly described as a Jackie Robinson uniform, but the pieces are not from the same season.
The Brooklyn Dodgers jersey dates to 1951. The pants date to 1950.
The jersey and pants sold together for $5.52 million.
#6: Babe Ruth’s Circa-1928–30 Yankees Road Jersey — $5.64 Million
Sale: Hunt Auctions, June 2019
This Ruth road jersey dates to approximately 1928 through 1930, placing it near the center of the Yankees’ original dynasty.
The uniform sold for $5.64 million in June 2019, temporarily becoming the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold.
Ruth averaged 46 home runs, 148 RBIs, and a 1.173 OPS over those three seasons. The Yankees won the 1928 World Series, sweeping the Cardinals one year after the celebrated 1927 team swept Pittsburgh.
#5: Babe Ruth’s 1914 Baltimore News Rookie Card — $7.2 Million
Sale: Robert Edward Auctions, December 2023
Only 10 examples of Ruth’s 1914 Baltimore News card are known in red and blue variations. The card depicts a 19-year-old Ruth as a member of the minor-league Baltimore Orioles, before he reached the Red Sox and long before he became baseball’s greatest slugger.
This SGC 3 example sold privately through Robert Edward Auctions for $7.2 million in December 2023.
Then things became interesting.
The same card returned to auction in 2025 and sold for approximately $4.026 million. It is considered the biggest loss in trading card history.
#4: The T206 Honus Wagner — $7.25 Million
Sale: Goldin-brokered private transaction, August 2022
The T206 Honus Wagner remains the hobby’s most famous baseball card.
This SGC 2 example sold privately for $7.25 million in August 2022, setting a record for the issue. Fewer than 60 authentic examples are generally believed to exist, although exact population estimates vary.
There has been a $5.1 million sale since then. That card was a PSA 1 and was also sold by Goldin. The highest-graded Wagner is a PSA that is currently owned by none other than Ken Kendrick.
#3: Shohei Ohtani’s 2026 Topps Chrome Dual Gold Logoman Autograph — $11 Million
Sale: Reported private transaction, July 30, 2026
The one-of-one 2026 Topps Chrome Back-to-Back Dual Gold Logoman Autograph contains two gold MLB logo patches commemorating Ohtani’s consecutive MVP seasons. It also carries signatures in both English and Japanese kanji.
There is an unusual detail. The card was originally pulled as a redemption at Boca Sports Cards, and the reported $11 million transaction involved the redemption rights before the physical card had been delivered to the owner.
Pretty sure it sold to the fund that Kevin O’Leary is helping to run. It also more than tripled the Ohtani card record established just 16 days earlier and placed the card behind only the 1952 Topps Mantle among baseball cards.
#2: Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps Card — $12.6 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions, August 2022
The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle is not Mantle’s true rookie card. That distinction belongs to his 1951 Bowman.
The 1952 Topps card became the defining image of the postwar baseball-card hobby. This SGC 9.5 example came from the famous 1986 discovery of unopened 1952 Topps material owned by Alan Rosen and was celebrated for both its condition and provenance.
It sold for $12.6 million in August 2022, becoming the most expensive sports card ever sold.
There are three PSA 10 versions of this card. They are estimated to be worth between $30 million and $50 million.
Yes, Ken Kendrick owns one.
There is also one that was purchased for $275,000 in 2001. Holy smokes.
#1: Babe Ruth’s 1932 “Called Shot” Jersey — $24.12 Million
Sale: Heritage Auctions, August 2024
Nothing else is particularly close.
The jersey is photo-matched to Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field—the game in which Ruth appeared to gesture toward center field before hitting a home run off Cubs pitcher Charlie Root.
Whether Ruth was actually calling his shot has been debated for generations. The mythology is now inseparable from the moment.
The jersey had previously sold in 2005 for $940,000. Nearly two decades later, with additional photo-matching work supporting its connection to the game, it sold for $24.12 million.
That made it the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold and gave it an $11.52 million advantage over the second-place Mantle card.
Ruth did not simply retain the top spot.
He destroyed the field.
Ruth, Mantle and Ohtani
Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Shohei Ohtani now have five entries apiece in the Top 25.
For Mantle, that doesn’t include multiple high sales of his cards; remember, I only took the highest.
Ohtani represents something different. His cards have completely changed the modern collecting hobby. Many say he is the greatest baseball player of all time.
But $24.12 million is $24.12 million.
The Babe is still the king.
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