Arguably, the greatest batsman of all time, Australia’s Sir Don Bradman’s ‘baggy green’ cap from his Test debut against England in 1928 will be auctioned this week.
Bradman debuted in the Australian team against England in a Test match on November 30, 1928. He went on to score 18 and 1 across two innings in Brisbane on his debut and that was followed by Australia’s humiliating defeat against England by 675 runs.
Nonetheless, “The Don” went on to become one of the greatest captains and batsmen in the history of the game and brought a lot of laurels for his country. He retired from the game after registering a stunning average of 99.94 in Test cricket, a record that has not been eclipsed in 72 years.
Speaking about the upcoming auction, Pickles Auctions revealed that the veteran batsman had presented his ‘baggy green’ to his neighbour Peter Dunham as a gift. It is reported that Dunham was jailed for a period of eight years and two months after he was found guilty for scamming $1.3 million (US$959,900) from investors. Thus, a few victims are looking to access the proceeds of this prestigious cap to cover their losses.
“In 1959, Sir Donald gifted the Baggy Green to his neighbour, Peter Dunham, whose house backed onto the Bradman’s family home on the Parade in Kensington Gardens,” Pickles Auctions said in a statement as quoted by Times of India.
“The Baggy Green has been on loan to the State Library of South Australia since 2003 and has been authenticated by Mr Barry Gibbs (former manager of the State Library of South Australia’s Bradman collection),” he added.
In 2003, Bradman's last baggy green cap from his final tour of England in 1948 was sold for A$425,000 (US$313,845) while his blazer from his first series as Test captain was sold for $132,000 (US$97,482) in 2015.
John Stephenson
john@cricketinvestor.co.uk
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