Ty Cobb’s teeth
Ty Cobb was an American baseball player in the 1910s, known not only as one of the best hitters in the game’s history, with records that still stand today, but also as as a racist and overall hateful human being. Cobb once beat up a a disabled fan who was heckling him from the stands – the man had no hands. He also stabbed an elevator operator, choked the wife of a stadium groundskeeper, and had several fistfights with teammates. So it came as a surprise that in 1999, 38 years after his death, a woman paid over US$8,000 (B245,000) for his false teeth. Even after death, he can still bite.
Andre Agassi’s hair
Tennis legend Andre Agassi was good – I mean real good. He was only a teenager when he reached the semifinals of the French, US, and Australian Open in the late 1980s. Agassi was also known for his hair style: a mullet made of luscious blonde hair. Or so we thought. Years after he retired, the tennis star revealed that he wore a wig and even claimed he lost his first Gland Slam final because he thought it would fall off. Still, a sports bar in New York bought the wig in the 1990s, paying thousands of dollars.
Nolan Ryan’s jock strap
Baseball fans are nuts about Nolan Ryan. He holds the record for most no-hitters in baseball history. The rare feat occurs when the pitcher does not allow any player from the opposing team to get a hit in nine innings of play. It’s so rare that it has only occurred 238 times since professional baseball started in 1875. Ryan got his record seventh and final no-hitter on May 1, 1991. Just days later, someone paid US$25,000 (B766,000) for the jock strap he wore during that game. Easily the grossest piece of sports memorabilia. That is, until...
Luis Gonzalez’s chewing gum
There’s must be something about the sport of baseball that makes their fans a little ‘out there’. Luis Gonzalez batted a home run and got the winning score that put the underdog Arizona Diamondbacks over the highly touted New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series. Gonzalez instantly became a legend in Arizona. This might explain why a fan paid US$10,000 (B306,000) for two pieces of the man’s chewed gum. We imagine a dream scenario in which Cobb’s false teeth can re-chew Gonzalez’s old gum – an US$18,000 dream.
Joe Montana Ziggy card
American quarterback Joe Montana, known as Joe Cool for his calm under pressure, is considered to be one of the best players of his generation. After winning so many Super Bowl titles in the 1980s, he became a target for sports collectors who would do anything to get their hands on his property. So it was a surprise to see a love letter written by Montana to his ex-wife while the two were in college. The three love notes included one written on a Ziggy cartoon card – sold for US$3,300 (B101,000).