A "baggy green" cap worn by Australia’s legendary cricketer Don Bradman is set to go under the hammer in Sydney on Tuesday. The iconic cap, despite its tattered condition, is expected to fetch up to US$260,000 at auction.
Bradman wore the woolen cap during India’s 1947-48 tour of Australia, which marked the visiting team's first Test series on foreign soil after gaining independence.
According to auction house Bonhams, it is "the only known baggy green" worn by Bradman during one of his most prolific series. During that tour, Bradman scored an astounding 715 runs in six innings, averaging 178.75, with three centuries and a double hundred.
Australia’s Test cricketers are awarded the dark green caps, which hold a revered status among players and fans alike.
Despite its condition, with considerable fading, insect damage, and a torn peak, Bonhams estimates the cap could sell for between US$195,000 and US$260,000.
Bradman, widely regarded as the greatest batsman of all time, retired with a record Test batting average of 99.94. Cricket authority Wisden has described him as the greatest player to "have ever graced the gentleman's game."
In 2020, a different "baggy green" worn by Bradman during his Test debut in 1928 was sold for US$290,000, setting a record for one of the cricket legend’s caps. However, that sum fell short of the US$650,000 fetched by Shane Warne’s baggy green earlier that year, which was auctioned to support Australian bushfire relief efforts.
Bradman passed away in 2001 at the age of 92, while Warne tragically died in 2022 at the age of 52.
BD-Pratidin English/Mazdud
