DALLAS — The jersey worn by Mickey Mantle when he played his final game as a New York Yankee on September 28, 1968, sold for $2.19 million to lead Heritage Auctions’ February 26-27 Winter Platinum Night Sports Auction. That’s the highest price ever paid at auction for a Mantle jersey, shattering the previous record of $1.32 million set at Heritage Auctions in August 2018.

The jersey was the one worn by Mantle as he struck the penultimate home run of his storied career, number 535. The event has been filed under the bold headline of “The Gift” in baseball history, a heartwarming tale of how a young pitcher engaged in the final 30-win season ever registered in the Majors essentially served up batting practice to a faded legend on the brink of retirement with the intention of allowing Mantle to homer near the end of a game and an American League season already safely in the hands of the Detroit Tigers. Denny McLain’s charity toss on September 19, 1968, would carry the Mick past the great Jimmie Foxx with just eight games remaining in his Hall of Fame career.

The 8/10 blue Sharpie inscription at upper right chest reads, “To Tom, A Great Friend Always, ‘The Mick,’” the original recipient having been the president of the “Mickey Mantle Museum” in Cooperstown and highly regarded hobby expert Tom Catal, who supplies a letter speaking to the McLain home run provenance.

“We’ve always known this was an incredibly special jersey, as ‘The Mick’ wore it when he hit his 535th home run and then signed it for a dear friend,” says Chris Ivy, founder and president of Heritage Sports. “But when it was confirmed to be the very jersey he wore when he took his final swing as a New York Yankee, that’s when it became something historic, as evidenced by the night’s results.”

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For more information, www.ha.com or 214-528-3500.