Ted Williams’s 1946 MVP Award Sets Auction Record

By Samantha Bowen

A piece of baseball history made headlines on Saturday as Ted Williams’ 1946
MVP Award sold for a record-breaking $528,750 at the 21st Louisville Slugger Museum &
Factory live auction.

This staggering sum marks the highest price ever fetched for a Major
League Baseball MVP award. Williams earned the prestigious honor in 1946 after an
extraordinary season, hitting .342 with 38 home runs and leading the Boston Red Sox to the
World Series.

The MVP award was part of Williams’s personal collection, maintained by his daughter, Claudia
Williams, until her passing in July at the age of 52. Alongside the MVP trophy, the auction
featured other iconic items from Williams’s storied career, including his 1958 American League
Batting Title silver bat, which sold for $270,250, and his Presidential Medal of Freedom,
presented by George H.W. Bush, which fetched $141,000. A collection of limited-edition Ted
Williams’s autographs also garnered significant interest, selling for $105,750.

Williams’s legacy extends far beyond his accolades. Over 19 seasons with the Red Sox, he
posted a .344 career batting average, hit 521 home runs, and became the last Major Leaguer to
bat over .400 in a season, achieving a .406 average in 1941. His impact was not only felt on the
field but also through his service during World War II and the Korean War. “Ted Williams
exemplified greatness both as a player and a person,” noted a Hunt Auctions representative,
reflecting on the significance of the collection.

Boston sports fans also remember Williams for his 1992 WBZ-TV interview with fellow legends
Bobby Orr and Larry Bird, a rare moment when three icons of their respective sports shared the
spotlight. The record-breaking auction adds another chapter to Williams’s lasting legacy, earning
his place as one of the most cherished figures in baseball and Boston history.