There's no feeling quite like owning a piece of sports history, which is why many are prepared to pay exorbitant amounts of money to acquire some of the most sought-after collectibles.
Whether they're game-worn jerseys, pieces of equipment or sports cards, we've seen millions of dollars shelled out for ultra-rare and iconic pieces in recent years.
Check out the top 10 most expensive sales of sports memorabilia below!
10 Kobe Bryant NBA Debut Jersey – $7 million
Kobe Bryant rookie jersey
The late great Kobe Bryant wore this jersey in his NBA debut with the L.A. Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 1996-97.
The iconic gold jersey represents the start of Bryant's legendary NBA career, which produced five NBA titles, 15 All-NBA selections and one MVP award, just to name a few of his many accomplishments.
The jersey was sold for $7 million in 2025 at a Sotheby's auction, 12 years after it was initially sold for just $115,242.
9 Babe Ruth Rookie Card – $7.2 Million
Baseball legend 'Babe' Ruth
The 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth card shows Ruth as a 19-year-old minor-league pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles (International League) before he became an MLB superstar.
It was printed by the Baltimore News newspaper as part of a small regional set of baseball cards. Because it was distributed locally and in very small numbers, only about 10 authenticated examples are known today. It is widely considered the earliest Babe Ruth card ever produced.
The card was sold for $7.2 million via Robert Edwards Auctions in December 2023. It was later resold in 2025 for $4.02 million.
8 Honus Wagner T206 Card – $7.25 Million
Honus Wagner card
The T206 Honus Wagner is widely considered the most famous baseball card ever produced.
The card features Honus Wagner, a legendary shortstop who played primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1897–1917. The card comes from the T206 series, produced between 1909 and 1911 by the American Tobacco Company. The cards were packed in cigarette packs, and contained over 500 players from the early MLB era.
Only about 50-75 authentic copies of this card exist today, which is why it sold for $7.25 million as part of a private sale in August 2022.
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7 Lionel Messi World Cup Match-Worn Jerseys – $7.8 million
Lionel Messi with the World Cup trophy
Lionel Messi has accomplished everything possible during his illustrious career, but his crowning achievement is undoubtedly his FIFA World Cup conquest with Argentina in Qatar in 2022.
This set of six jerseys, which Messi wore during the first halves of Argentina's World Cup matches, were sold for $7.8 million at a Sotheby's auction in December 2023, one year after the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner was crowned a world champion.
The auction house expected the shirts to be sold for over $10 million and break the record for most expensive game-worn jersey of all-time, but the final sale to an anonymous buyer fell short of the record price.
6 Olympic Games Manifesto – $8.8 million
Winter Olympics
The original Olympic Games Manifesto, written by Pierre De Coubertin in 1892, was sold at a Sotheby's auction for a then-record price of $8.8 million to an undisclosed buyer.
De Coubertin wrote the 14-page manifesto in a bid to relaunch the Olympics, accompanied by a speech at the Sorbonne university in Paris. Two years later, he was credited with founding the first modern Olympic Games, which were held in Athens in 1896.
5 Diego Maradona 'Hand of God' Jersey – $9.3 million
Diego Maradona and the Hand of God
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - JUNE 22: Argentina player Diego Maradona outjumps England goalkeeper Peter Shilton to score with his 'Hand of God' goal as England defenders Kenny Sansom (top) Gary Stevens (c) and Terry Fenwick look on during the 1986 FIFA World Cup Quarter Final at the Azteca Stadium on June 22, 1986 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images)
Diego Maradona is remembered as being one of the best players to ever grace a soccer field, notably guiding Argentina to a World Cup victory in 1986. But one moment during that World Cup run has lived in infamy: the "Hand of God" goal.
In one of the most controversial plays of all-time, Maradona used his hand to direct the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton in the quarterfinal of the World Cup. Maradona would score a breathtaking second goal to defeat England 2-1, moving on and eventually winning the tournament.
The jersey was sold for $9.3 million at a Sotheby's auction in 2022, less than two years after Maradona died.
4 Michael Jordan 1998 NBA Finals Jersey – $10.1 million
Michael Jordan
The 1998 NBA Finals will go down as one of the most iconic series in basketball history for one reason: Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' "Last Dance".
Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in six games to hoist their sixth NBA championship, and third in a row (they had previously completed another three-peat between 1991 and 1993). The series was also significant because it was the last time Jordan played for Chicago, announcing his second retirement from basketball shortly after the end of the season.
The jersey, ironically, was worn by Jordan in Game 1, which Chicago lost despite His Airness' 33-point effort. Sotheby's sold the jersey for $10.1 million in September 2022, setting the record for the most expensive game-worn clothing at the time.
3 Mickey Mantle Topps 1952 Card – $12.6 Million
Mickey Mantle
The famous Topps 1952 Mickey Mantle card was part of one of the first modern baseball card sets.
The seller, Anthony Giordano, bought a number of Topps Mantle cards for $50,000 in 1991, including this very card. For years, he fended off multi-million dollar offers for the prized card, until Giordano's sons convinced him to come forward and get the card graded.
The card has an SGC MT 9.5 grade, and set the record for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia when it sold for $12.6 million in August 2022.
2 Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant Card – $12.932 Million
Bryant Jordan card
The Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs is one of the most unique cards ever made, which is why it sold for $12.932 million to a group of three investors, including Kevin O'Leary, in August 2025.
The card includes two NBA jersey Logoman patches — one from a Jordan game-worn jersey and one from a Bryant game-worn jersey. Both players personally signed the card, making it a dual autograph collectible.
The 1-of-1 card has a grade of PSA EX-MT 6, and is the second-most expensive sports collectible of all-time, behind Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series "called shot" jersey, which sold for $24.12 million in 2024.
1 Babe Ruth 'Called Shot' Jersey – $24.1 million
Babe Ruth Called Shot jersey
Babe Ruth collectibles and cards have sold for millions of dollars over the years, but none have come close to the whopping $24.1 million that his "Called Shot" jersey fetched in the summer of 2024.
In one of the most memorable moments of his career, Ruth responded to hecklers by pointing to the center field flagpole at Wrigley Field during the 1932 World Series between his New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs.
In his next at-bat, the Babe hammered a pitch almost 500 feet to dead center, helping the Yankees win another World Series in what would be his final appearance in the Fall Classic.
The jersey initially sold for $940,000 in 2005, but shattered the record for the most expensive sale of sports memorabilia almost 20 years later.
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