Collecting Sporting Balls
Collecting Soccer Balls
What is the most expensive soccer ball? In 2022 there was an auction for the ball used when Argentine great Diego Maradona scored his notorious "Hand of God" goal against England at the 1986 World Cup. The ball was put up for auction by Ali Bin Nasser, the Tunisian referee who was in charge of the game, and he is set to become millions of dollars richer because of his mistake in missing the penalty.
old baseballCollecting Baseballs
The interest in collecting baseballs goes up whenever there is a significant record broken. At each MLB baseball game, there are at least a few balls collected in the stands from home run hits. Most of these will be cherished by the fans that caught them. Others that get into the marketplace may only return a little more than the $4 it would cost to buy a new one at the sporting store.
If you get an authenticated signature on the ball, the price can go up, and some old signed balls of past champions can fetch a good price.
How Much?
In 2007, Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run, replacing Hank Aaron as baseball’s all-time home run champion. The 755th home run ball of Hank Aaron, the previous record holder, sold for $650,000. Bonds' ball was caught by student Matt Murphy, and he will be lucky to get $500,000 for it. Bonds' previous home run ball, his 755th, caught by Adam Hughes at the San Diego ballpark on August 4, is hoping to sell for between $200,000 to $300,000.
Related Pages
- All about baseball
- FIFA World Cup Balls
- Sports ball size comparisons
- Ball Technology in Football
- Collecting Autographs — an athlete's signature on its own can be worth something, add it to another collectible item and the value shoots up.
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