A jersey worn by the Washington Redskins' Sammy Baugh has sold at the top of Hunt Auctions' Super Bowl sale, held yesterday (Sunday 2) in partnership with the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
 The perils of framing: the jersey has faded considerably in sunlight |
The 1940s jersey starred amid a host of vintage and modern football memorabilia, making $46,000 and meeting its $40,000-60,000 estimate.
Sammy Baugh was the Redskins' star quarterback between 1937 and 1952, and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. The jersey is said to have been torn off his back during a game against the Boston Yanks in 1947 or 1948, and has yet to be restored, retaining the rips and tears of its game use.
Offered by NFL Auction, the official auction site of the National Football League, a jersey from Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning topped its $15,000 high estimate by 120% to realise $33,000 - though the bidder may not have been quite so enthusiastic had the sale been held following Sunday's game.
 Only a few rings from the 1958 NFL Championship have been offered at auction |
The second highest bids of the auction were achieved by a championship ring given to William F Hilgenberg, an owner of the Baltimore Colts, following the team's 1958 win in the "Greatest Game Ever Played". It made $40,250, described by the auction house as "among the most significant rings of its type".
The 1958 NFL Championship saw the Colts bag a 23-17 win over the New York Giants in Yankee Stadium, with Alan Ameche scoring a touchdown in sudden death overtime. It was also the first game of its kind to be televised nationally, and is largely responsible for the popularisation of the NFL.
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