Don Bradman’s ‘Baggy Green’ Cap Fetches £245,000 at Auction

An iconic cap, once belonging to Australian cricket legend Don Bradman, was purchased for 479,700 Australian dollars (£245,000) during an auction event held in Sydney. Bradman utilized this particular cap, commonly referred to as a ‘baggy green’, throughout the 1947-48 home Test series played against India. It was during this series that he achieved his 100th first-class century. Bonham’s, the auction house, characterized the cap as “sun faded and worn”, noting “some insect damage” and “some loss to [the] edge of [the] peak”. The initial purchase price for the item was 390,000 Australian dollars (£200,000), prior to the inclusion of a buyer’s premium in the total cost. Bradman, who passed away in 2001 at the age of 92, is broadly acknowledged as the most outstanding batter in cricket history, having maintained an average of 99.94 over his 52-match Test career. This series against India marked his final appearances on Australian home ground. He accumulated 715 runs across six innings, achieving an average of 178.75, which included three centuries and one double-hundred, contributing to Australia’s 4-0 victory. Furthermore, this tour represented India’s inaugural international cricket series as an independent nation. Since 2010, Bradman’s cap had been on display as a loan exhibit at the Bradman Museum, located in his hometown of Bowral. Subsequent to the 1947-48 Indian tour, Bradman presented the cap to Pankaj Gupta, the Indian team’s tour manager, who then transferred it to PK Sen, the Indian team’s wicket keeper. According to auction house Bonhams, the present owner acquired it in 2003.