Australian cricketing legend Don Bradman has set a new record two years after his death -- with his baggy green cap reportedly selling for A$500,000 ($299,400).
Bradman wore the cap during his last Test series on Australian soil, against India in 1947-48. It was the first of his baggy green hats to be offered for public sale and was snapped up by a mystery Sydney businessman before going to auction.
Auctioneer Michael Ludgrove refused to reveal the exact amount although admitted it was a record for any item of cricket memorabilia, but The Australian newspaper quoted a spokesman for the buyer saying the price tag was over A$500,000.
"Anything that is linked to Bradman now sells at a large premium," Richard Mulvaney, director of the Bradman Museum, told Reuters. He said that there was an increasing demand for any memorabilia connected to the cricketer.
Bradman, who died in February 2001 at the age of 92, is regarded as the greatest batsman ever. His record of 29 Test centuries from 52 matches with a batting average of 99.94 is still unrivalled about 55 years after he quit the game.
(US$1 = A$1.67)