St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire salutes the fans at Busch Stadium after hitting his 70th home run of the season in the seventh inning against the Montreal Expos giving him a giving the record for home runs on the year. McGwire hit his 69th earlier in the third inning. The Cardinals beat the Expos 6-3. AFP PHOTO/PHOTO Peter NEWCOMB

McGwire's 70th HR ball plummets in value after selling for $3M

6 years ago
PETER NEWCOMB / AFP / Getty

Paying millions for Mark McGwire's historic 70th home run baseball apparently wasn't the best investment decision.

Comic book artist Todd McFarlane purchased the ball for just over $3 million at auction after McGwire set the single-season home run record in 1998, but according to TMZ Sports, several sports memorabilia auction houses now estimate it to be worth as little as $250,000.

Goldin Auctions founder Ken Goldin placed the ball's current value between $250,000 and $300,000, while David Bohler of SCP Auctions estimated it could be worth anywhere from $250,000 to $400,000.

STAN HONDA / AFP / Getty

Barry Bonds ultimately broke McGwire's record when he hit 73 home runs in 2001. McFarlane also owns Bonds' No. 73 ball, which he reportedly paid about $500,000 for.

In 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroids during his big-league career.

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