Price: $1,265,000 (Today $1,692,000)
Year sold: 2004
When the Babe became a Yankee, the team played at the Polo Grounds while a new Yankee Stadium was built. At the grand opening on April 18, 1923, Ruth supposedly remarked, “I would give anything to hit a homer.” And so he did.
The bat was later given to the winner of a high school hitting competition, who gave the bat to his caretaker when he died.
There was much excitement when the bat reemerged in the spotlight after being out of sight for 60 years.
Some even feared a Red Sox fan would buy and destroy it to break the Bambino Curse, but thankfully, that didn’t happen.