Bradman baggy green bought for over $400,000

SYDNEY (Agencies): A cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman during the 1946-47 Ashes series has been bought by the National Museum of Australia for AU$438,500 (approx US$286,700). The baggy green was acquired by the Canberra museum with the federal government contributing half the cost. Bradman wore the cap when he captained Australia in the 1946-47 series, which was the first to be played against England after World War II. Australia won the five-Test series 3-0 lighting a fuse for the 1948 ‘Invincibles’ tour, where the Aussies went unbeaten in England. Arts Minister Tony Burke said purchasing the cap safeguards an important piece of national history for future generations. “You’d be hard-pressed to meet an Australian that hasn’t heard of the great Donald Bradman, arguably the greatest cricketer of all time,” he said. “Now to have one of his iconic baggy greens in the National Museum of Australia means visitors will have the opportunity to get up close and connect with our sporting and cultural history.” The cap is just one of 11 of Bradman’s baggy greens known to exist. A second features in the Australian Sports Museum, while the location of the other nine remains private.

National Museum director Katherine McMahon welcomed the iconic cap into the museum collection’s fold. “Sir Donald’s baggy green marks the life of Australia’s most celebrated batsman and reflects a time when sporting heroes gave Australians hope, following the heartbreak and hardship of the Second World War,” she said. “We are delighted this national treasure has found a home here at the National Museum of Australia for all Australians to enjoy.” The cap sits alongside other Bradman memorabilia in the museum’s most recently opened Landmarks gallery, which features pieces from defining moments in our nation’s history.