Is this the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia ever? A Boca Raton company thinks so

In 2012, a Babe Ruth jersey passed through the offices of SGC to be authenticated. As it was confirmed, the jersey was worn in a game by the Hall of Famer with the New York Yankees in the 1920 season. The relic ultimately sold for more than $4.4 million, making it the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold.

Now SGC, a Boca Raton-based company, might be involved in another record-breaking auction and it once again involves Ruth.

Last month, SGC was employed as the authenticator for another game-worn Ruth jersey. Dave Grob, a uniform expert for SGC, graded the jersey as “Superior/Excellent.” Grob also authenticated the Ruth jersey earlier this decade, and SGC CEO Dave Forman expects the auction price for this jersey to exceed the other Ruth jersey’s final price.

“For well over a decade, I have been researching and evaluating significant major-league uniforms of the 20th century,” Grob said in a statement. “Every time I am presented with a historic uniform like this striking Babe Ruth example, I am always rooting for the jersey because, if it proves to be authentic, it means that an extraordinary piece of baseball history has survived. However, I always make sure that my passion does not interfere with my final decision, which is based on detailed fabric and construction analysis supported by period on-hand examples, and enhanced technical analysis.”

The jersey will be sold next month in a live auction at Yankee Stadium in New York, and the asking price is expected to exceed $4.5 million, which would set the world record for most expensive piece of sports memorabilia.

The Ruth jersey dates to the late 1920s and is one of only a few authentic, game-worn Ruth jerseys left in existence. This one is unique not just because of its excellent condition, but also because of some of the unique features. The name “Yankees” is stitched across the front, which isn’t the case for any other iteration of the New York uniforms, and Ruth’s name is stitched on the inside of the collar with the original Spalding tag.

This story was originally published May 7, 2019 at 12:15 PM.