An Ernie Banks game-worn Chicago Cubs jersey auctioned for $137,865 last night.
Banks wore the home jersey on several occasions during the 1968 season, including on June 10, when he hit two homers.
 Banks was a 14 time all-star during his 18 seasons with the Cubs |
Banks' position as the most famous player in Cubs history ensured the jersey's strong showing. The team's first African-American player, Banks earned the nickname Mr Cub during a stellar 18-season career.
Although Banks never brought a World Series pennant to the Cubs, he was a 14-time all-star and was voted into the "Major League Baseball All-Century Team".
"The impeccably preserved 1968 jersey's technical details are breathtaking," explained SCP Auctions, which sold the garment.
"In a season in which Banks ripped 32 more home runs and knocked in 83 runs, it's an especially coveted gamer that's been photo-matched several times over.
"With regard to quality, condition, rarity and provenance, we unequivocally rank this among the finest game worn flannels our firm has ever handled."
Last year the company auctioned a 1969 Banks game-worn home jersey for $151,652.
"It's extremely rare to find a Banks game-used jersey in the first place, but to sell two of them within a 12-month period is quite extraordinary," Terry Melia, a spokesperson for the auction house, told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.
The sale also saw a Nolan Ryan New York Mets jersey from 1970 make $60,667, while US president Dwight D Eisenhower's' 1960s golf clubs sold for $121,122.
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