Babe Ruth’s 'Called-Shot' Jersey Breaks Sports Memorabilia Record in Dallas

Dallas' Heritage Auctions recently sold a bit of sports history: Babe Ruth's jersey from his “called-shot” game against the Chicago Cubs in 1932.

By Charles Farmer

August 28, 2024

Babe Ruth (no relation to the candy bar) made history wearing this jersey. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions

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Dallas shoppers will pay almost anything for a one-of-a-kind piece of clothing. Forget Chanel (likewise, forget the cool merch for sale at 7-Eleven); these days, the most enviable threads can be found on Airport Freeway, where Dallas' Heritage Auctions makes its home.

When the New York Yankees' jersey that Babe Ruth wore in the famous “called-shot” game went on the auction block at Heritage, it raked in a record-breaking $24.12 million. For comparison, that's 17,866.67 times the median rent for a one-bedroom in the city.

The Yankees legend was wearing the jersey with Number 3 on the back during the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series. It was then that he famously pointed to the outfield as if to call his shot before hitting a home run. The Yankees won the game 7–5 against the Chicago Cubs and went on to win the Series in a four-game sweep.

Incredibly wealthy sports fans spent six hours in a bidding war before one collector won. The purchase breaks the record for sports memorabilia set two years ago when a collector spent $12.6 million on a baseball card of fellow Yankee legend Mickey Mantle.

Ruth held onto the jersey after the game before giving it to a golf buddy in the 1940s. It remained with his daughter until the 1990s, then passed hands a few times until 2005, when it was sold for $940,000.

“It has been an honor and privilege to work with this incredible piece of American history, and I am proud that it will now be part of one of the finest private collections in the world,” says Chris Ivy, Heritage Auctions director of sports. “The legend of Babe Ruth and the myth and mystery surrounding his ‘called shot’ are united in this one extraordinary artifact.”

The Dallas auction house is a minefield of rare items (and astronomical prices). In April, a rare Superman comic book was up for grabs for the low price of $5 million. In 2023, Heritage offered an assortment of stage set items from classic TV shows, such as Jeopardy and Cheers.

Now, the myth and mystery of Babe Ruth's called shot are safely in the hands of a private collector — not, say, in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where average Americans could enjoy a treasured piece of Americana.

It is unclear whether the collector will make the jersey available for public viewing — or, ya know, legendary-sweat-sniffing.

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Charles Farmer has been contributing to the Observer since 2023. He goes to the Mayborn School of Journalism at UNT. He is local to Dallas and has a cat named Wilhelmina. He enjoys writing and photography, arts and culture news and long naps on deadline.

Contact: Charles Farmer