Over the next few days, weeks and months, many people in the memorabilia world and beyond will speculate about how much Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s home run balls will be worth.
But there’s finally someone willing to put his money where is mouth is.
Rick Probstein, whose company Probstein Auctions did $160 million in sales last year on eBay, is putting a bounty on the home run balls.
Probstein told the Action Network he will pay $100,000 in cash for No. 61, $200,000 in cash for No. 62 and $250,000 for whichever homer Judge finishes the season off with. That last homer would be the new American League record and is expected to fetch the most money in the marketplace when all is said and done.
The baseballs potentially could get more at auction, but Probstein’s offer is obviously net to the seller without commission fees.
Probstein, who goes by @probsteinauctions on Instagram, is a lifelong Yankee fan and said he would keep the Judge balls for his personal collection.
Barry Bonds' No. 73 home run ball, the all-time single season record, sold for $517,000 in 2003.
Bonds' No. 756, which passed Hank Aaron’s career number, sold for $752,467 in 2009. The former Giants slugger's final home run (762) sold for $376,612 in 2008 and $282,900 in 2019.
Michael Kessler, 20, who caught Judge’s No. 60 on Tuesday night, gave the ball back for four signed baseballs and a signed bat. He and his friends also took a picture with the slugger. The ball was estimated to have been worth between $50,000 and $500,000.
