Majority of Jim Irsay memorabilia assortment going up for public sale

The Irsay household will public sale off nearly all of the memorabilia assortment owned by Jim Irsay — a compilation of things for which the late Indianapolis Colts proprietor as soon as mentioned he was supplied greater than $1 billion.

The public sale shall be run by Christie’s beginning in March, with the Irsay household planning to maintain some choose objects and offering a portion of proceeds to charity.

“This resolution was not made calmly, however with deep reflection and love for the legacy he constructed,” the Irsay household mentioned in a press release launched Thursday by the Colts. “Our dad was a passionate collector, pushed not by possession, however by a profound appreciation for the sweetness, historical past and cultural resonance of the objects he curated. From iconic devices to handwritten lyrics by legends to uncommon historic artifacts and paperwork, every bit within the assortment tells a narrative — and he was all the time so excited to share these tales with the world.”

Largely recognized for its huge number of musical devices, together with ones owned by members of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Kurt Cobain and Eric Clapton, the gathering has additionally contained such objects as Muhammad Ali’s “Rumble within the Jungle” championship belt, the saddle used for Secretariat’s Triple Crown run and a more-than-200-year-old copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Christie’s mentioned the gathering “contains extraordinary sports activities and film memorabilia, U.S. presidential artifacts, extraordinarily uncommon books, paperwork and manuscripts with a give attention to American historical past, the ‘Beatnik’ motion and far more.” Christie’s will maintain free public exhibitions in New York at its location in Rockefeller Plaza.

“Christie’s is honored to supply this magnificent assortment, so lovingly compiled, maintained, and shared by legendary collector Jim Irsay over many years,” mentioned Julien Pradels, president of the Christie’s Americas area. “These extraordinary objects shall be made obtainable to passionate collectors across the globe, who’ve a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to personal a chunk of historical past, and supply this beautiful assortment its subsequent chapter.”

A number of the gathering had been used as a part of a sequence of touring exhibitions and live shows lately, together with a one-year run at Indiana College that led to September.

Irsay mentioned in 2023 that he thought the gathering would “all the time be collectively” however famous that it in the end would not be as much as him.

“Look, it is not mine. I all the time say, you by no means see a hearse pulling a U-Haul,” Irsay mentioned. “I imply, I do not personal something. Another person goes to personal it, and another person goes to be in right here.”

Irsay, who had owned the Colts since 1997, died in Could on the age of 65. His three daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, have since taken over possession of the crew, which is off to an NFL-best 7-1 begin in 2025 behind quarterback Daniel Jones and working again Jonathan Taylor. Irsay was inducted into the crew’s ring of honor earlier this season, and the Colts have been sporting a “JI” patch on their jerseys.

The Irsay daughters, who’ve put at the very least two of Irsay’s houses up on the market, mentioned they believed “it is time for a brand new life for the gathering.”

“It is our sincerest hope that these artifacts discover future stewards who perceive and cherish their significance,” they mentioned.

ESPN’s Stephen Holder and The Related Press contributed to this report.