Don Bradman baggy green snapped up for $400,000, cap one of the only 11 ones to be worn by the great Australian.
The National Museum of Australia has purchased a cap that Sir Don Bradman wore during the 1946–47 Ashes series for AU$438,500 (about US$286,700).
The federal government paid half the price for the Canberra museum to purchase the baggy green.
When Bradman led Australia in the 1946–47 series—the first to be played against England following World War II—he wore the cap.
Australia went undefeated in England during the 1948 ‘Invincibles’ tour after winning the five-Test series 3-0.
Buying the cap, according to Arts Minister Tony Burke, preserves a significant aspect of our heritage for coming generations.
“You’d be hard-pressed to meet an Australian that hasn’t heard of the great Don Bradman, arguably the greatest cricketer of all time,” he said.
“Now to have one of his iconic baggy greens in the National Museum of Australia means visitors will have the opportunity to get up close and connect with our sporting and cultural history.”
There are eleven known Bradman’s baggy greens, and the headgear is simply one of them. The location of the other nine is still unknown, however the second is on display at the Australian Sports Museum.
Katherine McMahon, director of the National Museum, welcomed the iconic headwear into the museum’s collection.
“Sir Donald’s baggy green marks the life of Australia’s most celebrated batsman and reflects a time when sporting heroes gave Australians hope, following the heartbreak and hardship of the Second World War,” she said.
“We are delighted this national treasure has found a home here at the National Museum of Australia for all Australians to enjoy.”