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When Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run for the season, fans not only witnessed history — they also had a one in 38,832 chance of catching the record-breaking ball.
Key points:
- Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the MLB season, which is a new record excluding the steroid era
- The spectator who caught the ball is yet to announce whether he will sell it
- An offer of $US2 million has already been made on behalf of an anonymous buyer
It was a priceless opportunity for one lucky punter to stake their claim on a historic moment in American baseball.
But that didn't stop California collector JP Cohen from putting in a bid for the ball — of $US2 million ($AUD3.1 million) — in anticipation.
"Leading up to it, we were excited and hoping that he [Judge] would do it," Cohen said.
"And once he did it, that's obviously when we started getting a lot of interest in our offer that we put out."
Cohen has worked in the American sports memorabilia industry for 23 years.
He made the offer on behalf of a baseball historian and Yankee fan, who wishes to remain anonymous.
The man who caught the ball, Corey Youmans, an investment banker from Dallas, has yet to respond.
His initial excitement was captured on a video, though, which was later posted on social media.
Youmans is a Texas Rangers fan, who happened to be sitting between Yankees diehards, in section 31 of the Texan ballpark on Tuesday night.
But there are reasons beyond sentimentality to hold out for the right price.
Sporting history carries a hefty price tag
Cohen has set no conditions or time frame on his offer.
"I'm sure he's [Youmans] a pretty smart guy … trying to make the right moves before he either sells the ball or keeps the ball," Cohen said.
After the game, Judge told journalists he would love to get the ball back but knew what a meaningful souvenir it would be to a fan.
"They made a great catch out there and they've got every right to it," he said.
In September, when Judge equalled the previous home-run record (61), which was set by Roger Maris Jr in 1961, the ball fell just out of reach of fans.
It was later returned to Judge, who gave it to his mum.
The 60th home-run ball was caught by a 20-year-old Yankees fan, who traded it for a clubhouse catch-up with Judge, four signed baseballs and a signed game bat.
"We've handled plenty of pieces of memorabilia that go well into the seven figures of value," Cohen said.
"Things like a game bat used by Babe Ruth or a uniform worn by Lou Gehrig."
The record price for an item is $US12.6 million.
That was for a vintage baseball card, circa 1953, featuring Mickey Mantle — another former Yankees star who is still regarded as one of the best switch hitters in the game's history.
When it comes to baseballs, the $US3 million record still stands for a Mark McGuire ball from 1999.
Six players, including McGuire, have technically surpassed Judges' home run record, but that was during the game's "steroid era" when 89 players were accused of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs at a time when the league wasn't testing for them.
"Unfortunately, that [sale] was done before the steroid exposure issue [in American baseball]," Cohen said.
"And that ball has sold for significantly less since the steroid issue was brought to light."
Why buy a piece of sporting history?
According to Cohen, it is true collectors and diehard sports historians who are willing to fork out for old-school sports gear and merchandise.
Investors hoping to make a quick buck from the increasing value of historic items are in the minority.
"The vintage memorabilia is what really gets [those] type of numbers," he said.
"For many years, it was always baseball memorabilia that got the big numbers but of late … other sports have really come into the space with record pricing."
After Netflix's hit series The Last Dance aired, basketball legend Michael Jordan's 1998 Chicago Bulls finals jersey sold for more than $US10 million in September 2022.
And anything tied to Babe Ruth is also a certain meal ticket.
His baseball jerseys regularly fetch up to $US 5 million, his 1927 World Series ring sold for $US2.1million, and an old signed tax document once sold for $US24,449.
Aussie collectors have deep pockets, too.
A baggy green belonging to cricketer Shane Warne was auctioned off for over $1 million in January 2020, with the proceeds going to that summer's bushfire appeal.
The top bidder was later revealed as a Commonwealth Bank executive who donated it to the Donald Bradman Museum.
The cricket bat used by Sir Donald Bradman in the 1934 Ashes series recently became the most expensive bat in the world, fetching $245,000 last year at auction.