The last jersey the Great One ever wore in the National Hockey League will have a new one after being sold at auction for nearly $600,000.
The final price tag on the jersey was $595,933 US when the auction closed at just after 11 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 11. It was sold through Grey Flannel Auctions and garnered a total of 21 bids before closing. The identity of the winning bidder was not known at closing.
The jersey has a “GRETZKY” name tag sewn into the collar and a dated patch sewn into the inside back hem alongside Gretzky’s autograph. It also comes with authentication letters from MeiGray Vintage and the Rangers and photo matching examples.
Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game on April 18, 1999, when the Rangers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden. He recorded an assist on a goal by Brian Leetch in the second period for the 2,857th and final point of his career.
The jersey had previously been on display in the concourse of Madison Square Garden from 2013 to 2019. This was the first time it had been made available for public sale.
Despite its hefty price tag, this jersey isn’t the most expensive hockey jersey ever sold. That honor belongs to another Gretzky jersey, the last one he wore as an Edmonton Oiler during the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals, which sold for $1.452 million US in June 2022. Prior to that, the record for the most expensive hockey jersey sold belonged to Paul Henderson’s jersey from the 1972 Summit Series, which sold at auction in June 2010 for more than $1.275 million US.
The record for the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia sold at auction belongs to a Michael Jordan jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, which sold for $10.1 million US.
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