A Baggy Green cap personally handed over by Sir Donald Bradman is set to emerge from private hands and go to auction.
Kept hidden from public view for more than seven decades, experts say it could become one of the most significant cricket memorabilia sales ever held in Australia.
The rare cap, dating from the twilight of Bradman’s Test career, will be auctioned by Lloyds Auctions, with bidding opening at $1 and closing on Australia Day, Monday January 26, 2026.
Unlike most surviving Baggy Greens from Bradman’s era, which are typically locked away in museums or tightly held collections, this cap has never been publicly displayed or sold.
It was gifted directly by Bradman to a fellow Test cricketer he shared the field with and has remained within that player’s family for more than 75 years, passing quietly through three generations.
Cricket historians say artefacts with such a clear and personal link to “The Don” almost never surface on the open market, particularly with an uninterrupted chain of ownership.
Baggy Green caps from the 1940s are exceptionally scarce. Players were generally issued a new cap at the start of each Test series, with only the occasional spare produced.
Many have been lost to time, while others are considered too valuable or culturally significant to ever be sold.
With full authentication now complete, experts predict fierce competition from collectors and institutions around the world, with expectations the cap could fetch $1m or more.
Lloyds Auctions chief operations officer Lee Hames said the item’s provenance and timing made it especially significant.
“This is a genuine piece of cricket history that Sir Donald Bradman personally gifted,” Mr Hames said.
“It’s uninterrupted family ownership for 75 years and its direct link to ‘The Don’ make it one of the most important Bradman-related pieces to come to auction.
“Closing on Australia Day gives it special national resonance for collectors honouring our sporting heritage.”
Bradman retired from Test cricket in 1948 with a batting average of 99.94, a figure still regarded as one of the greatest statistical achievements in global sport, and his influence remains deeply woven into Australia’s sporting identity.
Lloyds Auctions expects strong interest from private collectors, museums and cricket fans both locally and overseas when the cap goes under the hammer.
The upcoming sale will mark the third time one of Bradman’s Baggy Green caps has gone to auction in a little more than five years.
In December 2024, a Bradman cap worn during the 1947-48 Test series against India sold in Sydney for $390,000, rising to $479,700 including auction costs, after attracting strong interest from bidders in Australia and overseas.
That cap, gifted by Bradman and later passed on to India’s wicketkeeper, followed the sale of his 1928 Test debut Baggy Green, which fetched more than $445,000 in 2020.
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