Aug 21, 2007 10:08 pm US/Eastern
Man From Queens To Auction Off Bonds' Record Ball
Matt Murphy Figures To Rake In At Least $500,000
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) ―
Barry Bonds' record-breaking 756th home run ball will be sold online, and New York fan Matt Murphy figures to be a half-million dollars richer.
The 21-year-old fan said Tuesday he had no choice but to sell the ball -- several people told him he would be taxed on the souvenir just for holding on to it.
"It wasn't hard. It was simple math. I'm upset by the decision I had to make," Murphy said. "I wanted to keep it. I'm young. I don't have the bank account. ... It would have cost me a lot more to keep it."
Bonds broke Hank Aaron's record of 755 with a shot into the right-field seats on Aug. 7 against the Washington Nationals.
Sotheby's/SCP Auctions will handle the sale at scpauctions.com beginning Aug. 28 and going through Sept. 15. The starting bid has not been determined, and auction officials estimated the ball would bring at least $500,000.
"This is the most historic baseball ever to be sold," said David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions.
The ball from Bonds' 755th home run hit Aug. 4 in San Diego also will be for sale on the site. The same company sold the balls from Bonds' 700th homer and No. 715, which passed Babe Ruth for second place last season.
Everyone involved hopes the buyer of the historic balls is willing to at least share them for a period of time -- if not donate them altogether -- with the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
"I really hope the person who does buy it is in position to loan it," Murphy said. "Two weeks ago, history was made. I was lucky enough to be in the house."
Murphy plans to share at least some of the proceeds with a friend who attended the Giants game with him. They were in town for a brief stopover on a trip to Australia when Murphy wound up with the lucky prize.
Murphy left the ball in safekeeping with a bank in San Francisco during his more than weeklong trip to Australia. He returned to the Bay Area on Sunday to make arrangements for the ball.
Bonds has said he believes his home run balls belong to the fans.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
