High School Basketball Jersey 'Believed to Be' Obama's Sold at Auction for $120K

Monica Sanchez | August 18, 2019
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The basketball jersey believed to have been worn by former President Barack Obama in high school has been purchased at auction for $120,000 by a man who wishes to remain anonymous.

The Punahou School jersey with the number 23 was sold over the weekend at an auction in Dallas and is said to have the same details as the jersey Obama was photographed wearing while playing basketball at the Honolulu prep school in back 1978-79.

The Associated Press reports,

Heritage Auctions said the jersey sold Saturday night in Dallas to a collector of American and sports artifacts who didn’t wish to be identified.

The jersey was offered by Peter Noble, who was three years behind Obama at Punahou School. Noble, now 55 and living in Seattle, said the jersey was destined for the trash when he picked it up. Years later he saw an old photo of Obama wearing a No. 23 jersey while at school.

The auction house says details on the shirt match the one Obama is photographed wearing.

Heritage Auctions described the item on its listing as having “every detail a perfect match to that image” in Noble’s 1979 yearbook of Obama suited in his jersey playing basketball.

The auction house goes on to call it “one of the most important items that Heritage has had the privilege to present to the collecting community.”

Noble told AP that a portion of the sale will go to the college prep school.

The opening bid was reportedly $25,000.

(Cover Photo: Flickr / Obama White House)
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