A 1938 uniform worn by Babe Ruth to promote the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair sold for $227,854 in SCP Auctions’ Winter Premier online auction early Sunday. The one-of-a-kind, custom-made “NEW YORK” flannel uniform was manufactured by A.G. Spalding & Bros. and Ruth wore it in 1938 at several stops to help promote the upcoming 1939-40 New York World’s Fair.
The entire auction of 1,021 lots of coveted sports memorabilia, game-worn items and sought-after autographs brought in $3.4 million.
Other top selling lots included Tony Gwynn’s 3,000th Hit baseball, $142,762; a rare 1969 Super Bowl III yellow variation full, unused ticket, which scored a winning bid of$59,098 to set a new industry record for a single sports ticket sold at auction; and a pair of World Series Championship rings (2012 and ’14) that were awarded to San Francisco Giants legend Orlando Cepeda, which sold for $59,098 each. The much-publicized sale of Jim Bouton’s Ball Four manuscript archive from his 1970 best seller did not meet its reserve price. Bidding had reached six figures before the auction closed.
Gwynn’s 3,000th hit baseball marked the late Hall of Famer’s milestone hit which occurred on August 6, 1999, versus the Montreal Expos.
According to SCP, the 1969 Super Bowl III yellow variation ticket surprised many industry insiders as it set a new auction benchmark for the sale of a single sports ticket.
The modern 14K white gold World Series championship rings represent the Giants’ second and third baseball titles.
Other highlights from the auction included:
- 1909-11 T206 White Border Near Complete Set of 520 Baseball Cards: $51,356
Vince Lombardi’s 1956 New York Giants World Champions 10K Gold Ring: $50,131- Early 1980’s Magic Johnson L.A. Lakers Game Worn Road Jersey (MEARS A10):$47,188
- Orlando Cepeda’s 2010 San Francisco Giants World Series Champs 14K Gold Ring: $44,401
- Tony Gwynn’s 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction 10K Gold Ring: $37,663
All prices include a buyer’s premium. Full auction results are available at www.scpauctions.com.
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