Rare John Wooden Purdue jersey sells for $264,000 at auction The final sale price easily exceeded the original $30,000-plus estimate by Heritage Auctions.

WEST LAFAYETTE — Adjusted for inflation, John Wooden's $40,000 UCLA salary in 1975 equates to around $190,000 today.

If only he knew how much his old laundry would fetch.

A Purdue basketball jersey — promoted by Heritage Auctions as one worn by Wooden in the early 1930s — sold for $220,000 early Friday morning. Including the buyer's premium (a surcharge paid to the auction house), the total purchase price was $264,000.

The identity of the buyer is not yet known. The Journal & Courier attempted to reach out to the buyer through Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage. Ivy said the buyer wished to remain anonymous.

HISTORY: How a family bond preserved the only John Wooden Purdue jersey believed to exist

The consigner, John Neff, said he put the item up for auction to create a college fund for his young daughter. Neff said the jersey was given to him after the death of his grandfather, who attended Purdue in the college of education with Wooden and remained in touch with the basketball hall of famer over the years.

Heritage Auctions originally put an expected sale price of $30,000-plus on the item. It reached $52,000 by Thursday afternoon. However, the price began to jump in the extended bidding period after 11 p.m., when only previous bidders were allowed to continue.

Wooden's jersey was authenticated and given a grade of A9 by MEARS, one of the leading sports memorabilia evaluation companies.

Wooden was a three-time All-American at Purdue prior to his legendary coaching career at UCLA.

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