As Arlington hosts the Major League All-Star Game Tuesday night, a business in Dallas is preparing for an auction of iconic baseball memorabilia. Heritage Auctions will host its Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction August 23 through 25.
Among items up for bid is the jersey Babe Ruth wore in the 1932 World Series when he may have called his shot.
Heritage Director of Sports Auctions Chris Ivy says Ruth may have been pointing at Cubs Pitcher Charlie Root, the Cubs' dugout or toward the outfield.
"It's that mix of fact and fiction that makes the myth," he says.
Ivy says, as the story of the called shot gained traction, Ruth jumped on board.
"Ruth was smart about that," Ivy says. "There were some quotes early when he said he wasn't calling his shot, but as reporters and the story continued to grow, three or four days later, he was, 'Oh yeah, of course I was calling my shot. I told them it was going to go in the bleachers.'"
Heritage estimates the jersey could sell for $30 million, which would set a world record for a sports collectible.
"Once you get into this stratosphere of value, it's not only someone who's going to love baseball, it's someone who has the means and sees it as an investment," Ivy says. "This is like a piece of art. There's a handful of people who can own a DaVinci; there's only one person in the world who can own the Mona Lisa. For sports collectibles, this Babe Ruth called-shot jersey I consider to be the greatest piece of sports memorabilia in the world. I consider this the Mona Lisa of sports collectibles."
Among other items up for bid are jerseys worn by Lou Gehrig in 1936, Joe DiMaggio in 1947 and Jackie Robinson in 1950. Estimates for those jerseys range from $500,000 to $7 million.
"It goes on and on. If someone's looking to put together a private Cooperstown, this is the auction to do it," Ivy says.
Other items include bats used by Robinson, Ruth and Shoeless Joe Jackson, baseball cards featuring Mickey Mantle and Ty Cobb, and jerseys worn by Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
Mays died last month. His jersey was worn in 1969.
"This is a significant road jersey," Ivy says. "It's got the left arm patch, the 100 year anniversary patch for Major League Baseball. The organized game of baseball started in 1869, so in 1969, they celebrated the 100 year anniversary."
Aaron's jersey is from 1954, his first season in the Majors.
"It's one of the older flannel and wool jerseys," Ivy says. "Can you imagine wearing that in the summer?"
Bidding in Heritage's Summer Platinum Sports Auction starts July 26. The auction itself is August 23-25. A complete list of items is available HERE.
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