Even though he departed from this world 30 years ago, his legacy lives on.
Mickey Mantle, an inductee into the Hall of Fame who died in 1995, leads in memorabilia sales at Heritage Auctions over the last half-century, raking in an incredible $162,241,529.64.
His collection featured a staggering 16,319 baseball cards, along with signed bats, baseballs, and various collectibles. The auction house noted that the top 10 baseball players collectively brought in $553 million.
The standout item from Mantle was a 1952 Topps card that sold for $12.6 million in 2022, marking it as the second priciest sports card ever auctioned.
Chris Ivey, who manages sports auctions at Heritage, commented, “His cards, story, and era tick every box for collectors, and when you combine that with the sheer volume, it produces market power like nothing we’ve seen.” It’s almost fascinating how that works, isn’t it?
Babe Ruth, often regarded as the greatest Yankee, secured second place in memorabilia sales, totaling $131,321,504.51.
The priciest item related to Ruth was his infamous “Called Shot” jersey, famously worn during Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, right before he hit a home run, which is one of baseball’s most memorable moments. This piece went for $24.12 million in 2024, setting a record for the most expensive sports item ever sold.
- Mickey Mantle — $162,241,529.64 (16,319 lots)
- Babe Ruth — $131,321,504.51 (6,944 lots)
- Ty Cobb — $49,315,187.16 (3,786 lots)
- Willie Mays — $42,102,350.70 (6,420 lots)
- Lou Gehrig — $38,360,967.48 (2,702 lots)
- Jackie Robinson — $36,957,341.09 (2,364 lots)
- Roberto Clemente — $29,436,834.90 (4,177 lots)
- Honus Wagner — $24,177,326.38 (1,322 lots)
- Sandy Koufax — $21,595,111.45 (3,499 lots)
- Hank Aaron — $18,173,887.25 (3,033 lots)
