Bonds’ record ball is sold for $752,467

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 756th home-run ball was auctioned Saturday for $752,467, well more than the estimates by memorabilia experts.

Home run No. 755, the ball that tied the record, went for $186,750, according to Sotheby’s/SCP Auctions. Both final prices included the winning bid plus a 20% buyer’s fee, according to the auction houses handling the sale.

Bonds broke Aaron’s record of 755 on Aug. 7 against Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik in San Francisco.

Matt Murphy, a 21-year-old student and construction supervisor from New York, emerged from a scuffle with the record-breaking ball after paying $100 for a $12 ticket during a layover on his way to Australia from his hometown.

“I had hoped to keep the ball, but when I determined that was not the best strategy at this stage of my life, this definitely was the right decision,” Murphy said in a statement released after the sale.

Experts had predicted the ball that tied Hank Aaron’s home-run record would fetch about $200,000, and that the record-breaker would be sold for $500,000.