SOLD! Don Bradman's rare baggy green fetches $438,500; National Museum makes winning bid

A piece of Australian sporting history has found a permanent home, after a cricket cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman during the 1946-47 Ashes series was bought by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra for AU$438,500 (approx. US$286,700).The federal government covered half the purchase cost, with Arts Minister Tony Burke hailing the acquisition as vital for safeguarding a national treasure.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“You’d be hard-pressed to meet an Australian that hasn’t heard of the great Donald Bradman, arguably the greatest cricketer of all time,” Burke 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.”Bradman wore the cap as captain in the 1946-47 Ashes series – the first Test contest between Australia and England after World War II – scoring 680 runs at a staggering average of 97.14 to lead his team to a 3-0 victory. That triumph lit the spark for the 1948 ‘Invincibles’ tour, when Australia went unbeaten in England.The baggy green is one of only 11 of Bradman’s known to exist. Another is housed in the Australian Sports Museum, while the rest remain in private collections.National Museum director Katherine McMahon said the acquisition honours both Bradman’s brilliance and the spirit of resilience he symbolised.“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.The cap will now feature in the museum’s Landmarks gallery, joining other national treasures that shaped Australia’s identity.