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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 Thursday released 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." A selection of the collection had been used as part of series of traveling exhibitions and concerts in recent years, including a one-year run at Indiana University that ended in September. Jim Irsay, who had owned the Colts since 1997, died in May at the age of 65. His three daughters have since taken over ownership of a team that is off to an NFL-best 7-1 start in 2025 behind quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor.
