Garment
See also : Textiles Fashion Sport Sport II Baseball Basketball Jordan Sport uniform Babe Ruth Movies Space Apollo 11 Central and South Americas
Chronology : 1920 1998
Chronology : 1920 1998
1920 Babe Ruth Road Jersey
2012 SOLD for $ 4.4M by SCP
The jerseys worn by baseball champions in the 1920s are extremely rare at auction. Some have been kept for many decades by their families as a mere memory.
The players used two jerseys, a home jersey for the games on their field and a road jersey for trips. A jersey could be used throughout one season or more, which further increases their rarity.
Compared to the next period, documents allowing photo-matching are scarce. The experts thus pay the greatest attention to the details of making which allow an identification of the year or a range of years, rather than on the shears in the textile or on misalignments in the inscriptions.
On May 19, 2012, SCP Auctions sold for $ 4.4M a game worn jersey of Babe Ruth. A photo of the champion made in March 1920 shows him with a jersey identical as this example.
This road jersey had been exhibited for many years at the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore. Its New York Yankees front marking is dated circa 1920. The maker was Spalding.
In very good condition, it retains its original identification with the name of Ruth.
The players used two jerseys, a home jersey for the games on their field and a road jersey for trips. A jersey could be used throughout one season or more, which further increases their rarity.
Compared to the next period, documents allowing photo-matching are scarce. The experts thus pay the greatest attention to the details of making which allow an identification of the year or a range of years, rather than on the shears in the textile or on misalignments in the inscriptions.
On May 19, 2012, SCP Auctions sold for $ 4.4M a game worn jersey of Babe Ruth. A photo of the champion made in March 1920 shows him with a jersey identical as this example.
This road jersey had been exhibited for many years at the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum in Baltimore. Its New York Yankees front marking is dated circa 1920. The maker was Spalding.
In very good condition, it retains its original identification with the name of Ruth.
BABE RUTH BIRTHDAY: Today on January 6 1895 the greatest player to play the game of Baseball was born. Here is the best piece of Ruthian memorabilia sold by @SCPAuctions for $4,415,658 World record for a piece of sports memorabilia #Baberuth @baseballhall @Yankees @MLB #MLB pic.twitter.com/Z5BL5bA2DF
— SCP Auctions (@SCPAuctions) February 6, 2018
1928-1929 Babe Ruth Road Jersey
2019 SOLD for $ 5.6M by Hunt
A Spalding road jersey of size 46 attributed to Babe Ruth has just surfaced. It was sold for $ 5.6M by Hunt Auctions on June 15, 2019, lot 47. The sale is mostly devoted to a personal collection of Babe Ruth, perhaps to be correlated with the very recent death of his second daughter.
The 'Yankees' mark on the front side enables to date the garment between 1927 and 1930. A label inside the collar is marked 'Ruth'. A number 3 has been erased at some point while leaving some traces.
The photos of Babe Ruth in 1927 show another placement of the buttons. The photo-matching orients rather towards 1928 or 1929. It is in 1929 that the Yankees began to sew a number on the jerseys to facilitate the identification of the players by the public. Ruth had received the number 3.
The 'Yankees' mark on the front side enables to date the garment between 1927 and 1930. A label inside the collar is marked 'Ruth'. A number 3 has been erased at some point while leaving some traces.
The photos of Babe Ruth in 1927 show another placement of the buttons. The photo-matching orients rather towards 1928 or 1929. It is in 1929 that the Yankees began to sew a number on the jerseys to facilitate the identification of the players by the public. Ruth had received the number 3.
UPDATE: Babe Ruth NY Yankees Jersey added to Ruth Collection Live Auction at @yankeestadium. Professional model Yankees Road Jersey Worn by the #Bambino dates to the 1928-30 era with Potential to Set World Record Pricing in Excess of $4,000,000! @NewYorkYankees #SultanofSwat @MLB pic.twitter.com/0dx9NChNR4
— Hunt Auctions (@HuntAuctions) April 23, 2019
1939 The Skin of the Cowardly Lion
2014 SOLD for $ 3.1M including premium
The Wizard of Oz, produced in 1939 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, remains the most popular fantasy film, and the Cowardly Lion is its most extravagant character.
This lion is a friend of Dorothy. He sings and dances while dreaming to find some courage and to become the king of the forest. The role was played by the burlesque actor Bert Lahr. He needed some toughness to play within this outfit because the skin is thick and heavy.
The costume was made from a real lion's hide. The realization was difficult because the technicians quickly appreciated that these animals are all different, excluding the possibility to use a spare habit. Two costumes of Cowardly Lion were made, but only one was used in the filming.
The screen used costume was acquired by a specialist who adorned it with a molded head of Bert Lahr's son. It was unsold in December 2011 at auction in Beverly Hills on an estimate of $ 2M.
It is now listed by Bonhams on November 24 in New York,lot 128.
A photo of Bert Lahr in the lion's skin is shared by Wikimedia:
This lion is a friend of Dorothy. He sings and dances while dreaming to find some courage and to become the king of the forest. The role was played by the burlesque actor Bert Lahr. He needed some toughness to play within this outfit because the skin is thick and heavy.
The costume was made from a real lion's hide. The realization was difficult because the technicians quickly appreciated that these animals are all different, excluding the possibility to use a spare habit. Two costumes of Cowardly Lion were made, but only one was used in the filming.
The screen used costume was acquired by a specialist who adorned it with a molded head of Bert Lahr's son. It was unsold in December 2011 at auction in Beverly Hills on an estimate of $ 2M.
It is now listed by Bonhams on November 24 in New York,lot 128.
A photo of Bert Lahr in the lion's skin is shared by Wikimedia:
1955 The Most Famous Pleated Dress
2011 SOLD 5.6 M$ including premium
It was the most successful seduction scene in motion picture history. In 1955, Marilyn Monroe plays the role of The Girl in the film by Billy Wilder, The Seven Year Itch. In a burst of laughter, she went to stand on a subway vent. The wind made the dress fly as superb scrolls that reveal her thighs.
This lovely ivory white gown was a technical achievement. It must be heavy enough to stay graceful while walking, and light enough to fly above the wind tunnel. The designer Travilla chose a rayon-based fabric. A photo of the famous scene illustrates the article shared by the Daily Mail.
In 1971, 20th Century Fox sells many of their movie props, due to financial difficulties. The actress Debbie Reynolds, who was the dance partner of Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, acquires prestigious pieces before they are auctioned.
She now splits her extraordinary collection, in two sales held by Profiles in History in Beverly Hills. The subway dress is included in the first sale, on June 18. It had never been submitted to a public sale, and it is very difficult to predict the price. The auction house announced a very open estimate that seems reasonable: between 1 and 2 million $.
POST SALE COMMENT
The sale was available live on the bidding provider site LiveAuctioneers. It was well attended by buyers, and the top lot reached a remarkable price: $ 4.6 million before fees.
It is a triumph in the category of movie props.
This lovely ivory white gown was a technical achievement. It must be heavy enough to stay graceful while walking, and light enough to fly above the wind tunnel. The designer Travilla chose a rayon-based fabric. A photo of the famous scene illustrates the article shared by the Daily Mail.
In 1971, 20th Century Fox sells many of their movie props, due to financial difficulties. The actress Debbie Reynolds, who was the dance partner of Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, acquires prestigious pieces before they are auctioned.
She now splits her extraordinary collection, in two sales held by Profiles in History in Beverly Hills. The subway dress is included in the first sale, on June 18. It had never been submitted to a public sale, and it is very difficult to predict the price. The auction house announced a very open estimate that seems reasonable: between 1 and 2 million $.
POST SALE COMMENT
The sale was available live on the bidding provider site LiveAuctioneers. It was well attended by buyers, and the top lot reached a remarkable price: $ 4.6 million before fees.
It is a triumph in the category of movie props.
1962 At the Closest from Marilyn Monroe
2016 SOLD for $ 4.8M including premium
The birthday of John Kennedy is grand style at Madison Square Garden in New York City on 19 May 1962. 15 000 friends of the President attend this private show which involves the stars of music hall : Jack Benny, Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Fonda, Maria Callas and of course Marilyn Monroe.
Marilyn has carefully prepared her contribution. The details are a surprise to the President and to the viewers. She composed the short poem 'Happy birthday Mr President' which she sings at the podium in a voice altogether languid and breathless after removing her coat.
She had ordered for this event to Jean Louis a stunning dress such as "only Marilyn Monroe could wear it". The effect of her performance is high among that well-wishing attendance. Jackie Kennedy is upset.
Jean Louis (Jean-Louis Berthault) is working for Hollywood studios since 1943. His designs have pushed Rita Hayworth to the rank of the sex symbol of the postwar period. He had already worked with Marilyn in 1961 for The Misfits.
Marilyn turns 36 less than two weeks later. Her professional career is at a point of no return. She is contractually linked with Fox whose projects do not bring any more pleasure to her. She feels that her body that made her fame will begin to get softened. She dreams of becoming a great tragic comedian.
The gown by Jean Louis is the culmination of the flamboyant youth of Marilyn and her apotheosis. Its color is perfectly consistent with her skin's. The garment with an open back is so tight that the zipper does not work completely and the last stitch is sewn on the actress. Under the stage lights the hundreds of crystals well distributed on the fabric sparkle to hide her nakedness while reinforcing the illusion of it.
On late June the Last Sitting is made. Photographed for Vogue magazine, Marilyn displays her still young body that Jean Louis's gown had masked. The root cause of her death on 5 August 1962 is not known.
The dress made by Jean Louis for Happy Birthday is estimated $ 2M for sale by Julien's in Los Angeles on November 17, lot 84. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Marilyn has carefully prepared her contribution. The details are a surprise to the President and to the viewers. She composed the short poem 'Happy birthday Mr President' which she sings at the podium in a voice altogether languid and breathless after removing her coat.
She had ordered for this event to Jean Louis a stunning dress such as "only Marilyn Monroe could wear it". The effect of her performance is high among that well-wishing attendance. Jackie Kennedy is upset.
Jean Louis (Jean-Louis Berthault) is working for Hollywood studios since 1943. His designs have pushed Rita Hayworth to the rank of the sex symbol of the postwar period. He had already worked with Marilyn in 1961 for The Misfits.
Marilyn turns 36 less than two weeks later. Her professional career is at a point of no return. She is contractually linked with Fox whose projects do not bring any more pleasure to her. She feels that her body that made her fame will begin to get softened. She dreams of becoming a great tragic comedian.
The gown by Jean Louis is the culmination of the flamboyant youth of Marilyn and her apotheosis. Its color is perfectly consistent with her skin's. The garment with an open back is so tight that the zipper does not work completely and the last stitch is sewn on the actress. Under the stage lights the hundreds of crystals well distributed on the fabric sparkle to hide her nakedness while reinforcing the illusion of it.
On late June the Last Sitting is made. Photographed for Vogue magazine, Marilyn displays her still young body that Jean Louis's gown had masked. The root cause of her death on 5 August 1962 is not known.
The dress made by Jean Louis for Happy Birthday is estimated $ 2M for sale by Julien's in Los Angeles on November 17, lot 84. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1964 The Ascot Dress from My Fair Lady
2011 SOLD for $ 4.4M including premium by Profiles in History
narrated in 2020
Adapted directly from the musical of the same title, My Fair Lady, produced in 1964 by Warner Bros., is one of the greatest successes in cinema. Spectators loved the story of the young cockney woman, played with great charm by Audrey Hepburn, who would like to be taken for a duchess.
Cecil Beaton was commissioned with the sets and costumes for the film as he had done for the play. His work was rewarded with one of the six Tony Awards attributed in 1957 to the Broadway version and with one of the eight Oscars awarded to the film in 1965.
Horse racing is a pretext for the ladies to exhibit the most showy clothing. The great scene of the film takes place during the Royal Ascot in 1910. In that crowd from which 400 women have been individually costumed, Audrey's dress shall be the most beautiful.
Audrey wears for this action a very tight clear dress in silk, velvet and embroidery, with a few ornaments, a short train and a gigantic hat decorated with ostrich feathers. The scene in which this sumptuously dressed young woman instinctively resumes her cockney accent to encourage a horse is one of the most comical in the history of cinema.
This Ascot dress belonged to Debbie Reynolds. It was sold for $ 4.4M including premium by Profiles in History on June 18, 2011, lot 506 linked here on the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform. In the same auction, the 'subway' dress of Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch was sold for $ 5.5M including premium.
Cecil Beaton was commissioned with the sets and costumes for the film as he had done for the play. His work was rewarded with one of the six Tony Awards attributed in 1957 to the Broadway version and with one of the eight Oscars awarded to the film in 1965.
Horse racing is a pretext for the ladies to exhibit the most showy clothing. The great scene of the film takes place during the Royal Ascot in 1910. In that crowd from which 400 women have been individually costumed, Audrey's dress shall be the most beautiful.
Audrey wears for this action a very tight clear dress in silk, velvet and embroidery, with a few ornaments, a short train and a gigantic hat decorated with ostrich feathers. The scene in which this sumptuously dressed young woman instinctively resumes her cockney accent to encourage a horse is one of the most comical in the history of cinema.
This Ascot dress belonged to Debbie Reynolds. It was sold for $ 4.4M including premium by Profiles in History on June 18, 2011, lot 506 linked here on the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform. In the same auction, the 'subway' dress of Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch was sold for $ 5.5M including premium.
1968-1969 Aldrin Apollo 11 Coverall Jacket
2022 SOLD for $ 2.8M by Sotheby's
The NASA Inflight Coverall Garment (ICG) of an astronaut in flight was made of a jacket plus trousers and boots.
During an Apollo 1 launch simulation in January 1967, a fire accident in the command module killed the three astronauts. The ICG material was then declared as dangerous and its nylon was then replaced by the specially developed fire proof teflon coated Beta Cloth.
The coverall jacket serial number 1039 was completed by the subcontractor in December 1968. During the Apollo 11 mission, Edwin Aldrin wore it in the journey to the Moon and back excepted when a pressured garment was necessary, which were during the launch and in the Lunar Module. The NASA Apollo 11 portrait of Aldrin wearing the jacket is shared by Wikimedia.
Aldrin's Apollo 11 jacket was sold for $ 2.8M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Sotheby's on July 26, 2022, lot 6 in the sale of his private collection. Aldrin signed a detailed provenance letter. A unique digital NFT identifier using new microscopic 3D scanning technology will be minted to the Ethereum blockchain for authentication of that piece.
Aldrin's jacket is the only Apollo 11 flown garment in private hands, all the others being kept by the Smithsonian.
During an Apollo 1 launch simulation in January 1967, a fire accident in the command module killed the three astronauts. The ICG material was then declared as dangerous and its nylon was then replaced by the specially developed fire proof teflon coated Beta Cloth.
The coverall jacket serial number 1039 was completed by the subcontractor in December 1968. During the Apollo 11 mission, Edwin Aldrin wore it in the journey to the Moon and back excepted when a pressured garment was necessary, which were during the launch and in the Lunar Module. The NASA Apollo 11 portrait of Aldrin wearing the jacket is shared by Wikimedia.
Aldrin's Apollo 11 jacket was sold for $ 2.8M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Sotheby's on July 26, 2022, lot 6 in the sale of his private collection. Aldrin signed a detailed provenance letter. A unique digital NFT identifier using new microscopic 3D scanning technology will be minted to the Ethereum blockchain for authentication of that piece.
Aldrin's jacket is the only Apollo 11 flown garment in private hands, all the others being kept by the Smithsonian.
1986 Diego Maradona Shirt
2022 SOLD for £ 7.1M by Sotheby's
On June 22, 1986, a quarterfinal of the FIFA World Cup was played in Mexico City between Argentina and England. The Argentinians led by their 25 year old captain Diego Maradona minded it like a revenge after the 1982 Falklands War.
Maradona scored within four minutes at the beginning of the second half two goals that were to become legendary for opposite reasons.
He opened the score with a goal helped by his hand. At that time when no video support was available for the referees, the point was declared as valid in an atmosphere of triumph supported by Maradona's spectacular celebration. Fully aware of his mischief, Maradona commented in the post game press conference that he made the goal “un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios".
The decisive goal of the match was scored by Maradona four minutes after the Hand of God. This one is a great demonstration of Maradona's superior dribbling skills as he had been able to pass four defenders in a run of half the length of the pitch. It will referred in 2002 as The Goal of the Century and described as the greatest individual goal of all time. The image of Diego celebrating that feat is shared by Wikimedia.
A later English goal put the final score to 2-1.
Steve Hodge had been involved as an English defender in both Maradona's winning actions. He managed to swap his shirt for Maradona's in the changing room. Please watch the interview shared by Goal of Steve Hodge as 'the Man with Maradona's shirt of God'.
Maradona's shirt of the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century was loaned from 2002 by Hodge to the National Football Museum in Manchester. It was then consigned by him to Sotheby's who commissioned conclusively to Resolution Photomatching the photo-matching with the quarterfinal. It was sold for £ 7.1M from a lower estimate of £ 4M on May 4, 2022, lot 1.
Maradona scored within four minutes at the beginning of the second half two goals that were to become legendary for opposite reasons.
He opened the score with a goal helped by his hand. At that time when no video support was available for the referees, the point was declared as valid in an atmosphere of triumph supported by Maradona's spectacular celebration. Fully aware of his mischief, Maradona commented in the post game press conference that he made the goal “un poco con la cabeza de Maradona y otro poco con la mano de Dios".
The decisive goal of the match was scored by Maradona four minutes after the Hand of God. This one is a great demonstration of Maradona's superior dribbling skills as he had been able to pass four defenders in a run of half the length of the pitch. It will referred in 2002 as The Goal of the Century and described as the greatest individual goal of all time. The image of Diego celebrating that feat is shared by Wikimedia.
A later English goal put the final score to 2-1.
Steve Hodge had been involved as an English defender in both Maradona's winning actions. He managed to swap his shirt for Maradona's in the changing room. Please watch the interview shared by Goal of Steve Hodge as 'the Man with Maradona's shirt of God'.
Maradona's shirt of the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century was loaned from 2002 by Hodge to the National Football Museum in Manchester. It was then consigned by him to Sotheby's who commissioned conclusively to Resolution Photomatching the photo-matching with the quarterfinal. It was sold for £ 7.1M from a lower estimate of £ 4M on May 4, 2022, lot 1.
1996 Kobe Bryant Rookie Jersey
2021 SOLD for $ 3.6M by Goldin
After a great high school season where his achievements had been compared with those of Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant was picked in the first round of the 1996 NBA drafts by the Charlotte Hornets acting on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers. He will never leave the Lakers, changing his jersey number from 8 to 23 in 2006.
On May 22, 2021, Goldin sold a home jersey of the rookie Kobe Bryant for $ 3.6M, lot 10. It has been matched to a photo shoot before the opening of the 1996-1997 season and is arguably the very first Lakers jersey worn by the player.
This size 44 Lakers 8 jersey has also been conclusively matched by Resolution Photomatching to seven home games from that season, plus tentatively to two other games. This jersey is correct to the uniforms made by Champion for the Lakers in the 1996-1997 season and the autograph signature has been authenticated by Beckett. It is in a condition of an extensive game use.
A home jersey in the purple and gold colors of the Lakers was sold for $ 2.74M by SCP on June 4, 2022, lot 1.
On May 22, 2021, Goldin sold a home jersey of the rookie Kobe Bryant for $ 3.6M, lot 10. It has been matched to a photo shoot before the opening of the 1996-1997 season and is arguably the very first Lakers jersey worn by the player.
This size 44 Lakers 8 jersey has also been conclusively matched by Resolution Photomatching to seven home games from that season, plus tentatively to two other games. This jersey is correct to the uniforms made by Champion for the Lakers in the 1996-1997 season and the autograph signature has been authenticated by Beckett. It is in a condition of an extensive game use.
A home jersey in the purple and gold colors of the Lakers was sold for $ 2.74M by SCP on June 4, 2022, lot 1.
1998 Michael Jordan Last Dance Road Jersey
2022 SOLD for $ 10M by Sotheby's
The 1998 Finals were a key event in NBA history, opposing the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan, who had hitherto made his whole NBA career with the Bulls, won the Most Valuable Player award of the Finals and his sixth NBA championship.
The first game was made in Salt Lake City on June 3, in a surrounding ambience hostile to the Bulls. Utah won it by a narrow margin, despite the 33 points scored by Jordan.
The road jersey worn by Michael Jordan in that Game 1 was sold for $ 10M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Sotheby's on September 15, 2022, lot 1. It has been photo matched in game use by MeiGray.
After Game 5 the Bulls were leading 3-2 and Utah could expect a tie as the home team in Game 6. The game was tied 83-83 with one minute left. Utah scored with 43 seconds left and Jordan brought the victory of Game 6 and the Finals to the Bulls at 87-86 with 5 seconds and a timeout left. Jordan had scored 45 points in Game 6 where he wore a similar red and black road jersey as in Game 1.
That win was also the end of an era for the Bulls plagued by tension between manager and coach. Jordan announced his retirement but made a come back as NBA player with the Washington Wizards in 2001 after the September 11 attack.
In 2020 The Last Dance raised a worldwide attention to Michael Jordan as an all sport Greatest Of All Time. This 10-part TV documentary relied on 500 hour footage of candid film of the Bulls in that highly successful 1997-1998 season, made by an entertainment crew for use in a documentary. The project had been delayed until Jordan gave his permission;
The first game was made in Salt Lake City on June 3, in a surrounding ambience hostile to the Bulls. Utah won it by a narrow margin, despite the 33 points scored by Jordan.
The road jersey worn by Michael Jordan in that Game 1 was sold for $ 10M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Sotheby's on September 15, 2022, lot 1. It has been photo matched in game use by MeiGray.
After Game 5 the Bulls were leading 3-2 and Utah could expect a tie as the home team in Game 6. The game was tied 83-83 with one minute left. Utah scored with 43 seconds left and Jordan brought the victory of Game 6 and the Finals to the Bulls at 87-86 with 5 seconds and a timeout left. Jordan had scored 45 points in Game 6 where he wore a similar red and black road jersey as in Game 1.
That win was also the end of an era for the Bulls plagued by tension between manager and coach. Jordan announced his retirement but made a come back as NBA player with the Washington Wizards in 2001 after the September 11 attack.
In 2020 The Last Dance raised a worldwide attention to Michael Jordan as an all sport Greatest Of All Time. This 10-part TV documentary relied on 500 hour footage of candid film of the Bulls in that highly successful 1997-1998 season, made by an entertainment crew for use in a documentary. The project had been delayed until Jordan gave his permission;
