The 'Mona Lisa' of sports: Babe Ruth's called-shot jersey auctioned for $24 million following curious authentication

A game-worn jersey of legendary baseball player Babe Ruth from Game 3 of the 1932 World Series sold for $24.12 million at auction after hours of bidding.

The jersey was allegedly worn by Ruth during his famous "called shot" home run while playing for the New York Yankees against the Chicago Cubs. The home run was hit off of the Cubs' Charlie Root in the fifth inning.

The event has been speculated on for years, as footage exists of Ruth pointing to the outfield, but it is unclear as to whether or not he was gesturing to fans or promising a homerun.

'The legend of Babe Ruth and the myth and mystery surrounding his ‘called shot’ are united.'

The event is legend enough for it not to be the issue at the auction, where the true value came from an authentication. Two Getty Images photos along with a Chicago Daily News photo were used to verify the jersey. The images showed Ruth, teammate Lou Gehrig, and manager Joe McCarthy in the Wrigley Field dugout in Chicago on the day in question.

The authentication sent bids through the roof, Washington Post reported, which led to a six-hour bidding war that closed at around 5:30 a.m. ET.

"It has been an honor and a 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," said Chris Ivy, director of the sports auction company called Heritage. "This is essentially the Mona Lisa."

"It is clear by the strong auction participation and record price achieved that astute collectors have no doubt as to what this Ruth jersey is and what it represents. The legend of Babe Ruth and the myth and mystery surrounding his ‘called shot’ are united in this one extraordinary artifact," he added.

This was the first time in 19 years that the jersey was available at public auction, carrying with it an estimated value of $30 million. Clearly, auctioneers were looking for a record-setting day and achieved it by eclipsing a Mickey Mantle Topps rookie card that sold for $12.6 million in 2022.

Other high profile sales of memorabilia were made for a $9.3 million Diego Maradona soccer jersey from his "Hand of God" goal in 1986 and a century-old Honus Wagner baseball card in a safe that went for $7.25 million.

Michael Jordan's jersey worn in Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $10.1 million in 2022, as well.

The name of the winner of the $24 million Ruth auction was not revealed.

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