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Maradona's Hand of God Ball Sells for $3.35M, Two-Thirds Short of Its $10M Estimate
The most famous ball in soccer just sold, and the number tells two stories at once. The Adidas Azteca from the 1986 Argentina vs England World Cup quarterfinal, the ball behind both the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century, brought $3.35 million at Heritage Auctions on Saturday, August 22, 2026. That is roughly a third of the $10 million the sale was expected to reach.
A $3.35 Million Sale Against a $10 Million Estimate
Bidding opened at $2.5 million and the hammer landed at $3.35 million, about two-thirds short of the roughly $10 million pre-sale estimate, a figure Heritage itself had reportedly set, according to the Dallas Express.
The result is still historic, Sports Collectors Digest lists it as a record for any non-jersey soccer item. The overall crown stays with Shohei Ohtani, whose 50/50 home run ball at $4.392 million remains the most expensive ball ever sold as of August 2026. We covered the $11 million Ohtani card when he reset the card side of the market too.
From a Referee's Shelf to the Auction Block
The backstory is one of the strangest in memorabilia. Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser officiated the 1986 quarterfinal, kept the ball for decades, then sold it at Graham Budd Auctions in 2022 for $2.37 million, and a 2023 relisting stalled at $2.04 million below reserve.
Hold those numbers against Saturday and the miss looks different, $3.35 million is a gain of about 41 percent over the 2022 price. The thing that failed on August 22 was the estimate, not the asset.
For scale, Maradona's jersey from the very same match sold for just under $9.3 million at Sotheby's in 2022, almost three times the ball itself, this market has never pretended to be logical.
The Same Auction Set More Than 200 Records
The hesitation never reached the rest of the room. Heritage's Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction ran with extended bidding from August 21 to 23, 2026 and closed at $62.9 million, a record total for a sports auction, past the company's 2024 mark of $61.6 million, with more than 200 individual records set.
T206 Piedmont Honus Wagner, SGC Authentic: $5.856 million, the highest price ever for an Authentic-graded Wagner, bidding had passed $3 million by mid-August
1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 PSA 8: $3.7 million, a grade record that beat the previous mark by over $1.2 million
1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181 PSA 9: $1.5 million
1963 Sandy Koufax game-worn jersey: $1.3 million
1979 Panini Calciatori Maradona #312 PSA 10: $225,700, a record for any Maradona card
The Wagner and Mantle results extend the arms race atop the most expensive baseball cards list, and the Panini resets the ceiling for the most valuable soccer cards.
What the Miss Really Tells Collectors
Three takeaways the mainstream recaps will not give you.
Estimates are marketing, not appraisals. The $10 million figure was reported weeks ahead and became the story, then the hammer made it a disappointment. Judge results against real prior sales, not against a number floated before the auction.
The money got selective, it did not leave. A weekend that produces $62.9 million and more than 200 records is not a cold market. The graded cards with deep comparable sales histories set records, the one-of-one relic priced on story alone missed. Comps price tighter than legends do.
The quiet record matters most for card collectors. $225,700 for a Panini Maradona is the new bar for that market, and it fits the wider pattern across the most expensive trading cards ever sold, graded cardboard keeps resetting records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Maradona's Hand of God ball sell for?
It sold for $3.35 million at Heritage Auctions on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Bidding opened at $2.5 million, and the final price came in roughly two-thirds below the $10 million pre-sale estimate.
Was the $3.35 million sale actually a loss for the seller?
No. The ball sold for $2.37 million at Graham Budd Auctions in 2022, and a 2023 relisting stalled at $2.04 million below reserve. The August 2026 result is a gain of about 41 percent, it only reads as a miss against the estimate.
Is the Hand of God ball the most expensive ball ever sold?
No. Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 home run ball, which sold for $4.392 million, remains the most expensive ball ever sold. The Maradona ball's price is still a record for any non-jersey soccer item, according to Sports Collectors Digest.
Where to Go From Here
Auction weekends like this are fun to watch and brutal to buy into. If you want to chase real cards without a seven-figure paddle, the Polkastarter marketplace shows every card, value, and chance in every Lootbox before you open, free mystery pack at signup.
Facts verified August 25, 2026 as cited, markets move, nothing here is investment advice. Polkastarter is not affiliated with the companies named.
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Iggy is a Web3 content strategist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the crypto space. She spent 4 years at TokenSuite, a leading Web3 marketing agency, where she produced content across 200+ projects including Biconomy and Natix Network, helping teams communicate complex blockchain concepts clearly and build engaged communities at scale.
Beyond agency work, Iggy has independently run content and marketing campaigns for projects like Oppi Wallet and Ta-da, covering everything from editorial and brand positioning to event coverage and video production. She brings genuine hands-on experience to everything she writes.