Peyton Manning remembers Jim Irsay (0:50)
Peyton Manning reflects on the legacy of Colts owner Jim Irsay, who passed away May 21 at age 65. (0:50)
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ESPN News Services
Oct 30, 2025, 08:50 AM ET
The Irsay family will auction off the majority of the memorabilia collection owned by Jim Irsay — a compilation of items for which the late Indianapolis Colts owner once said he was offered more than $1 billion.
The auction will be run by Christie’s starting in March, with the Irsay family planning to keep some select items and providing a portion of proceeds to charity.
«This decision was not made lightly, but with deep reflection and love for the legacy he built,» the Irsay family said in a statement released Thursday by the Colts. «Our dad was a passionate collector, driven not by possession, but by a profound appreciation for the beauty, history and cultural resonance of the items he curated. From iconic instruments to handwritten lyrics by legends to rare historical artifacts and documents, each piece in the collection tells a story — and he was always so excited to share those stories with the world.»
Largely known for its vast selection of musical instruments, including ones owned by members of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Kurt Cobain and Eric Clapton, the collection has also contained such items as Muhammad Ali’s «Rumble in the Jungle» championship belt, the saddle used for Secretariat’s Triple Crown run and a more-than-200-year-old copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Christie’s said the collection «includes extraordinary sports and movie memorabilia, U.S. presidential artifacts, extremely rare books, documents and manuscripts with a focus on American history, the ‘Beatnik’ movement and much more.» Christie’s will hold free public exhibitions in New York at its location in Rockefeller Plaza.
«Christie’s is honored to offer this magnificent collection, so lovingly compiled, maintained, and shared by legendary collector Jim Irsay over decades,» said Julien Pradels, president of the Christie’s Americas region. «These extraordinary objects will be made available to passionate collectors around the globe, who have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of history, and provide this exquisite collection its next chapter.»
A selection of the collection had been used as part of a series of traveling exhibitions and concerts in recent years, including a one-year run at Indiana University that ended in September.
Irsay said in 2023 that he thought the collection would «always be together» but noted that it ultimately wouldn’t be up to him.
«Look, it’s not mine. I always say, you never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul,» Irsay said. «I mean, I don’t own anything. Someone else is going to own it, and someone else is going to be in here.»
Irsay, who had owned the Colts since 1997, died in May at the age of 65. His three daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson, have since taken over ownership of the team, which is off to an NFL-best 7-1 start in 2025 behind quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor. Irsay was inducted into the team’s ring of honor earlier this season, and the Colts have been wearing a «JI» patch on their jerseys.
The Irsay daughters, who have put at least two of Irsay’s homes up for sale, said they believed «it’s time for a new life for the collection.»
«It’s our sincerest hope that these artifacts find future stewards who understand and cherish their significance,» they said.
ESPN’s Stephen Holder and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
