How Much Is Mike Ditka’s Iconic 1985 Chicago Bears Vest Worth? We Are About To Find Out

This week marked the 40th anniversary of Super Bowl XX (January 26, 1986) when the 1985 Chicago Bears went 15-1 and beat the New England Patriots 46-10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. To commemorate that incredible Super Bowl achievement, a piece of Chicago Bears history is up for auction: the iconic Mike Ditka vest.

Whether you remember Mike Ditka wearing his XXL vest back in the 80s, saw him wearing it on Saturday Night Live in the iconic ‘Da Bears’ sketch with Mike Myers and Chris Farley, or simply have seen fan replicas throughout the years, one thing remains true: everyone who knows ball knows the vest.

Mike Ditka’s Vest From Super Bowl XX Up For Auction

The auction is being held by Goldin and if you hoped/thought that owning Mike Ditka’s vest was going to come cheaply then you were sorely mistaken. Bidding runs through February 7th at 10 PM and already there are 26 bids with the top bid currently at exactly $82,000.

According to the listing, there is a 22% Buyer’s Premium added to the final bid so the current $82,000 winning bid will actually wind up costing $100,040 though that bid amount is certain to go up in the coming days.

When Mike Ditka wore this vest it was for the Chicago Bears‘ first championship since 1963 and it capped off a season that is often in the discussion among the greatest in NFL history. Their only loss that season came in Week 13 facing the Miami Dolphins on the road where they fell 24-38. The Bears were without their QB for that game and had to lean on backup QB Steve Fuller.

Is it the most iconic vest in sports?

I am hard pressed to think of a more iconic vest in all of sports than Mike Ditka’s ‘Bears’ vest from the 1985 season and 1986 Super Bowl. Surely there were some great vests in golf throughout the years but nothing compares to the legacy of Ditka’s vest.

This SNL sketch first aired in 1991 and the vest was already a part of the fabric of Chicago sports by then:

Mike Ditka’s vest on the auction block is (1) autographed by Mike Ditka, (2) is a size ‘XXL’ if anyone ever plans on wearing it, (3) comes with paperwork certifying its legitimacy, and (3) might be one of the best pieces of memorabilia available for purchase in the past decade.

My only question is, why is Mike Ditka parting with this iconic sweater now? Darren Rovell told WGNTV “this is the perfect time to sell this, at the 40th anniversary. Anniversaries present perfect times to sell memorabilia. It’s when there’s the news cycle, it’s when people are thinking about it.”

But does Mike Ditka need to sell anything? He’s been a millionaire for decades. Why sell it now? It cannot be about the money. Is this like Frodo carrying the ring and he simply has to get it out of his house(s) once and forever?? I need to know.