Bonds Ball Fetches More Than $750,000, Exceeding Estimates

Mark McGwire money it wasn't but Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home run ball was auctioned Saturday for $752,467, more than memorabilia experts had suggested.

Home run No. 755, the ball that tied the record, went for $186,750, including the bid and fee, according to Sotheby's/SCP Auctions which conducted the sale.

Photo of Barry Bonds hitting 756th career home run by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated

"Both Sotheby's and SCP are delighted that the Bonds 756 Home Run ball sold for $752,000, which is an acknowledgement of the importance of this record,'' said Lee Dunbar, director of Sotheby's collectibles department. "The overall online sale results demonstrate the continued appreciation of sports memorabilia and the history that these objects represent."

Both final prices included the winning bid plus a 20 percent buyer's fee, according to the auction houses handling the sale. The buyers weren't identified by Sotheby's,

Experts had predicted the ball that tied Hank Aaron's home record would sell for about $200,000 and the record-breaker would get at least $500,000. McGwire's then-record in a single season 70th home run ball in 1998 sold for $3 million.

Matt Murphy, 21, a New York construction, snared the record-breaking Bonds ball after paying $100 for a $12 ticket to the Aug. 7 game in San Francisco.