Most expensive Bradman Cap ever sold: 1947 baggy green fetches record A$460,000

A rare ‘baggy green’ cap worn by Sir Don Bradman during Australia’s iconic 1947–48 Test series against India has been sold for a staggering A$460,000, setting a new world record for a cricket cap worn by the Australian legend.

The cap, one of just 11 known baggy greens worn by Bradman that still exist, had remained out of public view for more than seven decades before going under the hammer at Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers. Including a 16.5% buyer’s premium, the final price climbed to A$535,900, eclipsing the previous record set in 2024.

What makes this artefact extraordinary is not just its rarity, but its deeply human backstory. Bradman gifted the cap to Sriranga Wasudev Sohoni, an Indian all-rounder who toured Australia during India’s first-ever Test series as an independent nation.

Sohoni’s family preserved the cap for 75 years, reportedly keeping it under strict protection, allowing even family members to view it only briefly upon reaching adulthood.

Unlike modern-day traditions—where Australian Test debutants receive a single baggy green for life—players in Bradman’s era were issued a new cap for each series, making surviving examples exceptionally scarce.

The cap bears the inscriptions ‘DG Bradman’ and ‘SW Sohoni’ on its inner lining and is noted to be in remarkably good condition, a stark contrast to the previous record-holder from the same series, which was sun-faded and insect-damaged.

The anonymous buyer has confirmed the cap will be placed on public display at an Australian museum, ensuring that one of cricket’s most sacred relics remains accessible to fans and historians alike.

Bradman’s 1947–48 series against India holds legendary status in cricket folklore. It was his final home Test series, during which he amassed 715 runs in six innings at a jaw-dropping average of 178.75, scoring three centuries, a double hundred, and his 100th first-class hundred, as Australia cruised to a 4–0 series victory.

Bradman, who passed away in 2001 aged 92, remains cricket’s undisputed great, with a Test batting average of 99.94, a figure that continues to defy belief. Sohoni, who played four Tests for India, died in 1993, but his quiet role in preserving this piece of history has now taken centre stage.