Match-worn boots and shirts once belonging to Diego Maradona are among a trove of sporting memorabilia going under the hammer.
More than 500 items will be for sale at Julien’s Auctions Sports: Legends event this weekend, with football, baseball, basketball, tennis and golf all represented.
The memorabilia is from stars including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Maradona, the Argentinian superstar who died last year aged 60.
A signed shirt worn by the revered footballer in a 1990 World Cup match against Brazil – in which he set up the winning goal – is estimated to sell for between £29,000-£43,000 (€33,969-€50,363).
The signed top which Maradona wore while scoring his first Argentina goal – in Glasgow against Scotland in 1979 – is expected to go for between £7,200-£14,400 (€8,433-€16,866).
And the star’s boots – also signed – which he wore while playing for Barcelona during the 1983-84 season have a guide price of between £29,000-£43,300 (€33,969-€50,713).
Other football highlights from the auction include a World Cup winner’s medal handed to a member of the victorious Brazil squad in 1994.
Elsewhere, basketball fans will have the chance to get their hands on history with the auction’s headline item – James’s high school jersey which he wore for a famous Sports Illustrated cover in 2002.
Headlined “The Chosen One”, the magazine picked out the 17-year-old James as a potential challenger for Jordan’s title as the greatest player of all time.
The jersey, also worn for a high school game, could sell for as much as £434,000 (€508,231), auctioneers predict.
Four-time NBA champion James, now 36 and playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, has arguably fulfilled predictions of being the best ever.
Fans of his great rival for the throne Jordan can also get a piece of their idol’s legacy.
One of the most sought-after trading cards of all time is up for auction in the form of Jordan’s 1986-1987 Fleer #57 rookie card.
It is estimated to fetch between £144,600-£290,000 (€169,326-€339,590).
A Jordan 1986-1987 Fleer rookie card graded Gem Mint 9 is also available with an estimate of £29,000-£43,000 (€33,969-€50,363).
A game-worn top once belonging to former NFL star and social justice activist Colin Kaepernick while playing for the University of Nevada in 2008 could fetch between £21,000-£36,000 (€24,595-€42,163).
A golf glove signed by Tiger Woods and donated to a celebrity auction to benefit a children’s hospital in 1999 has a guide price of £2,900-£4,300 (€3,396-€5,036).
Martin Nolan is the executive director and chief financial officer of Julien’s Auctions.
He expects there to be an especially high interest in the Maradona items due to the star’s death.
He said: “We saw it when Michael Jackson died in 2009, we had an auction the next day that had 22 Michael Jackson items in it and they sold for 10 times what we had originally estimated.
“Same with Kobe Bryant, Maradona, (Alfredo) Di Stefano, anyone that’s gone, these legends, their value soars after that because they’re no longer signing stuff. There’s a finite number of items out there once they’re gone.”
Mr Nolan added: “And people get nostalgic. That’s why people buy memorabilia, they’re nostalgic about all these items. Everyone has something that they absolutely adore and hero worship. And if that person is gone, well then the next best thing is to own something from their life and career.”
The Sports: Legends auction takes place live and online in Beverly Hills on July 17th-18th. Visit juliensauctions.com for more information.
