A John Wooden jersey and Babe Ruth bat were two of the several highlights at Heritage Auctions’ May 17-18 Sports Memorabilia Catalog Auction. Eight years after his passing at age 99, Wooden’s jersey – one that he wore as a member of the early 1930s Purdue Boilermakers – dwarfed its pre-auction estimate of over $30,000 with a remarkable top bid of $264,000.

The auction price sets a world record for a college basketball jersey, besting the previous record by more than $120,000.

But the top result of the auction was the $660,000 sale price for the bat used by Babe Ruth to launch his record 60th home run of the 1927 season, one of just a small handful of bats to ever command a sale price north of a half-million dollars.

“The memorabilia market is hot across the board, but the top end continues to enjoy the steepest ascent,” said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions for Heritage. “Our marketing department has proven particularly adept at drawing global investment capital into the collectibles field, and our consignors are reaping the enormous benefits of this enterprise.”

Another standout was the autograph collection of Jack Smalling, widely considered the most comprehensive Major League Baseball assembly in existence, which had a winning bid of $180,000. Other highlights included a Tom Brady 2006 gamer-worn New England Patriots jersey, which sold for $66,000, and a Jim Palmer jersey from his 1975 Cy Young season, which realized $30,000.

Heritage Auctions’ next offering is its Summer Sports Card Catalog Auction, taking place July 19-20, 2018. Bidding opens June 27 with highlights on preview July 11-13 at Heritage Auctions New York, 445 Park Avenue, 15th Floor, and July 19 at Heritage’s headquarters, 3500 Maple Avenue, Dallas, TX.