Joe Montana was known as “Joe Cool” during his Hall of Fame pro football career, and a jersey he wore while winning a pair of Super Bowls sold for a cool $1.212 million -- a record for a football jersey paid at auction.
The jersey, worn by Montana when he led the San Francisco 49ers to victories in Super Bowls XIX and XXIII, was sold by Goldin during its February Elite Auction that ended on Wednesday, Sports Collectors Daily reported.
The winning bid included a buyer’s premium.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨 The jersey @JoeMontana wore in #SuperBowl XIX and Super Bowl XXIII just set a new record for the highest price of any NFL jersey ever sold.
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) March 2, 2023
Final sale price: $1,212,000 💸🏈👏 @KenGoldin pic.twitter.com/cyLji4id4i
The previous record for a football jersey was $480,000, paid in January 2022 for a 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey worn by Tom Brady, ESPN reported. That deal was also brokered by Goldin.
Montana first wore the jersey in Super Bowl XIX, when San Francisco defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16. He wore it again four years later, in a game made famous when Montana engineered a 92-yard game-winning drive. Montana took the 49ers from their 8-yard line with 3:10 to play, finishing the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds to play to give San Francisco a 20-16 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
On the morning of Super Bowl XXIII, Montana’s wife, Jennifer, pulled the red jersey from a scrapbook and packed it in his stadium bag, ESPN reported. She included a note that read, “Maybe you want to wear it again.”
Montana did, earning his third of four Super Bowl victories.
The quarterback’s playbook from Super Bowl XXIII sold for $10,200, Sports Collectors Daily reported.
Montana’s white jersey from Super Bowl XXIV, a 55-10 victory for the 49ers against the Denver Broncos, also sold during the auction, fetching $720,000 just after midnight into Thursday, according to Sports Collectors Daily.
“It’s only right that the two greatest quarterbacks of all-time are still trading off records, even in retirement,” Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin, said in a statement. “Montana was already in rarefied air with four championship rings and three Super Bowl MVPs -- (and) with the record-breaking sale of his Super Bowl XXIII jersey, Montana has surpassed Tom Brady on top of that mountain.”
The sold items in the 94-lot auction, including Montana’s game-used and signed Notre Dame helmet from the 1979 Cotton Bowl, the uniform from his final 49ers game and the uniform from his last NFL game with the Kansas City Chiefs, brought in more than $3.7 million, ESPN reported.
A portion of the proceeds raised through the auction are being directed to The Four Rings Montana Family Foundation, which supports children’s charities, Sports Collectors Daily reported.
