A rare Baggy Green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman during Australia’s 1947–48 Test series against India is set to be auctioned next month, offering collectors a unique piece of cricket history with a direct personal link to the game’s greatest batter.
The cap was worn by Bradman during the series and later gifted to Indian all-rounder Sriranga Wasudev Sohoni, part of India’s first overseas Test tour after independence. Unlike most surviving Baggy Greens from Bradman’s era, which are held in museums or tightly guarded private collections, this cap has never been publicly displayed or previously offered for sale.
According to the Australian Associated Press, it has remained in uninterrupted family ownership for more than 75 years.
“This is a genuine piece of cricket history that Sir Donald Bradman personally gifted,” said Lee Hames of Lloyds Auctions, which is handling the sale. “Its uninterrupted family ownership for 75 years and its direct link to The Don makes it one of the most important Bradman-related pieces to come to auction.”
During Bradman’s playing days, Australian Test cricketers were issued a new Baggy Green for each series, adding to the significance of the item. The cap will be offered at public auction and is expected to attract interest from international collectors, museums and cricket institutions.
Bradman’s performances in the 1947–48 series against India remain among the most extraordinary of his career. He scored 715 runs in six innings at an average of 178.75 as Australia won the series 4–0, registering three centuries and a double hundred. Across his career, Bradman averaged 99.94 runs per Test innings, a figure unmatched in the history of the game.
Bradman died in 2001 at the age of 92, but memorabilia linked to him continues to command extraordinary value. Bidding for the cap at Lloyds Auctions will open at one Australian dollar and close on January 26, with the auction house expecting strong global interest for what it describes as a once-in-a-generation item.
