The jersey that 49ers great Joe Montana wore in Super Bowl XIX and Super Bowl XXIII just sold for a new record at auction, going for $1,212,000, according to Goldin Auctions.
The jersey sold on Goldin Auctions last week after spending nearly two weeks up for auction. The $1.2 million jersey shattered the previous record for a football jersey sold at auction, previously held by one of Tom Brady’s 2021 jerseys that he wore while playing for the Buccaneers. That jersey fetched $480,000 in January 2022. The Montana jersey includes a handwritten note from the Hall of Famer.
Montana wore the jersey when the 49ers beat Dan Marino and the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX in January 1985, a game in which Montana was named MVP after throwing for 331 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another score.
Four years later, when the 49ers played in Super Bowl XXIII, Montana’s wife pulled the jersey out of a scrapbook and put it in his bag with a note that said “Maybe you want to wear it again,” according to USA Today.
Montana did wear it again and facilitated a legendary game-winning drive which ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor in the final minute. The 49ers won, 20–16.
Although the $1.2 million sale price seems astronomical, fans would be hard-pressed to find a football jersey with more historical significance than Montana’s. It’s not often—maybe never—that the same jersey is worn in multiple Super Bowl victories by one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
The record-breaking auction price is a clear indication of that.
