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Jim Irsay’s billion-dollar memorabilia collection is heading to auction – with the late Indianapolis Colts owner’s family deciding to part with most of the legendary items he spent decades assembling.
Christie’s will handle the auction beginning in March. The Irsay family plans to keep a few select pieces and donate part of the proceeds to charity.
“This decision was not made lightly, but with deep reflection and love for the legacy he built,” the Irsay family explained in their Thursday statement. “Our dad was a passionate collector, driven not by possession, but by a profound appreciation for the beauty, history and cultural resonance of the items he curated. From iconic instruments to handwritten lyrics by legends to rare historical artifacts and documents, each piece in the collection tells a story — and he was always so excited to share those stories with the world.”
The collection’s crown jewels include musical instruments once played by Beatles members, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Kurt Cobain and Eric Clapton. But football fans might be more familiar with Muhammad Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle” championship belt, Secretariat’s Triple Crown saddle, and an authentic copy of the Declaration of Independence dating back more than 200 years.
Christie’s isn’t holding back on their enthusiasm for the auction.
“Christie’s is honored to offer this magnificent collection, so lovingly compiled, maintained, and shared by legendary collector Jim Irsay over decades,” said Julien Pradels, president of Christie’s Americas region. “These extraordinary objects will be made available to passionate collectors around the globe, who have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of history, and provide this exquisite collection its next chapter.”
Free public exhibitions of the collection will be held at Christie’s Rockefeller Plaza location in New York before the items go under the hammer.
From Public Display to Public Sale
Parts of Irsay’s collection had been touring the country in recent years as exhibitions and concerts, including a year-long display at Indiana University that wrapped up this September.
Irsay himself seemed to foreshadow the collection’s eventual fate in comments from 2023, when he said he thought the items would “always be together” but acknowledged the decision wouldn’t ultimately be his.
“Look, it’s not mine. I always say, you never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul,” Irsay said. “I mean, I don’t own anything. Someone else is going to own it, and someone else is going to be in here.”
The beloved NFL owner died in May at 65, leaving behind not just his memorabilia but also the Indianapolis Colts, who are having one of their best seasons in years.
His three daughters – Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson – have taken control of the team, which is off to a 7-1 start this season with quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor leading the charge. The team has honored their father with a “JI” jersey patch and inducted him into the team’s ring of honor earlier this season.
The sisters have already listed at least two of Irsay’s homes for sale, and now believe “it’s time for a new life for the collection.”
“It’s our sincerest hope that these artifacts find future stewards who understand and cherish their significance,” they said in their statement.
The auction represents a rare opportunity for collectors and museums to acquire pieces from what was widely considered one of the most valuable private collections in America.
