Infamous Bill Buckner “Error” Ball Sells for $400K

The infamous Buckner Ball — a baseball that somehow managed to scoot past the glove and through the legs of former Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner during the 1986 World Series — reportedly sold Friday at an auction in Dallas for more than $400,000.

USA Today writes that the sell-off, hosted by Heritage Auctions, opened with a bid of $110,000 at 11:54am and within minutes, several bidders had ran that figure up to a total cost of $448,125, including the “buyer’s premium,” a fee charged by the auction house.

According to MLB.com the ball was sold to a Dallas buyer who wished to remain anonymous. It was auctioned off by songwriter Seth Swirsky as the centerpiece of his collection.

As for an explanation on how Swirsky got his hands on the valuable souvenir in the first place, the story goes that right field umpire Ed Montague picked up the ball moments after it rolled through Buckner’s legs and later gave it to Mets executive Arthur Richman.

Charlie Sheen bought it for more than $93,000 in 1992. Swirsky picked it up 8 years later in auction for $64,000.

“People ask, ‘Why would you have a ball about sorrow?'” Swirsky is quoted as saying in October. “To me, it encompasses the two emotions of the game. The highs and lows, all encapsulated in one ball.”

Other items of “sorrow and joy” that Swirsky has pawned off in the past include the hat Jose Canseco was wearing when a ball bounced off his head for a home run in 1993.

That piece sold for $11,950.

For more on the history of the Buckner ball, including footage of the error in the 1986 World Series game which thrust Bill Buckner into infamy in Boston and around the country, watch the clip below:
via MLB.com