Bradman’s baggy green to go under the hammer
The “genuine piece of cricket history” has a hefty price tag when it goes to auction in January.
A baggy green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman could fetch up to $1 million when it goes under the hammer on Australia Day.
The man known fondly as “The Don” remains one of the greatest sportsmen of all time, scoring 29 Test-match centuries in 52 matches from 1928 to 1949.
Now one of his baggy green caps is up for auction at Lloyds Auctions. Bidding opens at just $1 and will close on January 26.
Brandman gifted the cap to a fellow Test cricketer. It has remained with that family for more than 75 years, never offered for public sale or displayed outside the family.
Unlike modern Australian players, the Test cricketers of Bradman’s era wore a different cap for each series.
“This is a genuine piece of cricket history that Sir Donald Bradman personally gifted,” Lloyds Auctions Lee Hames said.
“Its uninterrupted family ownership for 75 years and its direct link to ‘The Don’ make it one of the most important Bradman-related pieces to come to auction. ”
Bradman retired from Test cricket in 1948 with a career batting average of 99.94 – a record widely regarded as one of the greatest statistical achievements in world sport.
The cap, worn during the 1947-48 series against India, will be offered at public auction, drawing international interest from private collectors, museums, institutions and fans.
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Bradman’s first baggy green from his 1928 debut season was sold for $450,000 in 2020, according to Cricket Australia.
The record price for one of the caps belongs to Shane Warne.
The leg spinner’s cap was sold, in aid of emergency services responding to the 2019-20 bushfires, to the Commonwealth Bank for $1,007,500 – but Warne only wore the one cap.
-AAP
