Building an Authentic Sports Memorabilia Collection - How to Tell When It Is Worth Something
Sports memorabilia appraisal is a huge industry, and thousands of sports fans devote hours of time and countless dollars collecting items of sporting history or interest.
From signed baseball cards, to football shirts, to pieces of turf from old stadiums, anything and everything can be collectible when it comes to sport.
Why did sports memorabilia become so popular? The sport of baseball is synonymous with memorabilia.
At the turn of the century it was the most popular sport amongst the working class and children alike.
Tobacco companies realised there was a great enthusiasm for the game, and used it for advertising purposes to attract people to their brand.
Insert cards were already popular at the time for a variety of products, but when tobacco companies introduced baseball card inserts, collection fever swept the nation.
In the 1930's bubblegum manufacturers also began to produce inserts cards, and these were unsurprising popular with children of the time.
In the 50's and 60's it became possible for fans to collect cards, shirts and equipment, and ask players to sign them after a game.
This brought a new dimension to collecting memorabilia.
Why is sports memorabilia so special? Sports memorabilia is so collectible, because many fans are so deeply interested in their team, or their sport, that it is a collection that runs alongside a hobby, that they already have a keen interest in.
It also appeals, because there are so many fakes and forgeries on the market, that to hold the true original card, shirt, or signature feels all the more special.
Many collectors will seek a sports memorabilia appraisal to ensure all of their collection is the real deal.
How do I avoid getting caught out? It is estimated that over $500,000,000 is lost annually due to memorabilia fraud.
That's a quite phenomenal amount.
Unfortunately, forging signatures and stamping copies onto sports memorabilia is all too common; but, thankfully, a keen eye and knowledge for the sport or players concerned, is often all you need to avoid, being duped into buying a forgery.
Some players will only sign autographs through a certain agency, or for a certain price.
Be wary of any item of memorabilia for sale at a lower price; chances are it's a fake.
Many signatures come with a certificate that authenticates its legitimacy.
You can check the certificates online to make sure you are buying a genuine signature.
Why get an appraisal? Sports memorabilia appraisals are also a good way of validating your collection, and giving you peace of mind.
There are specialist appraisers who work from auction houses, or who will appraise your memorabilia by post to confirm it is 100% authentic.
They will base an appraisal on five key criteria; Artistry, workmanship, age, condition, and subject matter.
Not only will they confirm that an item is of the right age, they will even assess the quality of the product that the signature is printed on.
With a baseball, for example, an appraiser would check the stitching to ensure it is uniform and in-keeping with the type made at the time.
If you're serious about building a collection, there can be fewer more exciting things to collect than sports memorabilia.
From signed baseball cards, to football shirts, to pieces of turf from old stadiums, anything and everything can be collectible when it comes to sport.
Why did sports memorabilia become so popular? The sport of baseball is synonymous with memorabilia.
At the turn of the century it was the most popular sport amongst the working class and children alike.
Tobacco companies realised there was a great enthusiasm for the game, and used it for advertising purposes to attract people to their brand.
Insert cards were already popular at the time for a variety of products, but when tobacco companies introduced baseball card inserts, collection fever swept the nation.
In the 1930's bubblegum manufacturers also began to produce inserts cards, and these were unsurprising popular with children of the time.
In the 50's and 60's it became possible for fans to collect cards, shirts and equipment, and ask players to sign them after a game.
This brought a new dimension to collecting memorabilia.
Why is sports memorabilia so special? Sports memorabilia is so collectible, because many fans are so deeply interested in their team, or their sport, that it is a collection that runs alongside a hobby, that they already have a keen interest in.
It also appeals, because there are so many fakes and forgeries on the market, that to hold the true original card, shirt, or signature feels all the more special.
Many collectors will seek a sports memorabilia appraisal to ensure all of their collection is the real deal.
How do I avoid getting caught out? It is estimated that over $500,000,000 is lost annually due to memorabilia fraud.
That's a quite phenomenal amount.
Unfortunately, forging signatures and stamping copies onto sports memorabilia is all too common; but, thankfully, a keen eye and knowledge for the sport or players concerned, is often all you need to avoid, being duped into buying a forgery.
Some players will only sign autographs through a certain agency, or for a certain price.
Be wary of any item of memorabilia for sale at a lower price; chances are it's a fake.
Many signatures come with a certificate that authenticates its legitimacy.
You can check the certificates online to make sure you are buying a genuine signature.
Why get an appraisal? Sports memorabilia appraisals are also a good way of validating your collection, and giving you peace of mind.
There are specialist appraisers who work from auction houses, or who will appraise your memorabilia by post to confirm it is 100% authentic.
They will base an appraisal on five key criteria; Artistry, workmanship, age, condition, and subject matter.
Not only will they confirm that an item is of the right age, they will even assess the quality of the product that the signature is printed on.
With a baseball, for example, an appraiser would check the stitching to ensure it is uniform and in-keeping with the type made at the time.
If you're serious about building a collection, there can be fewer more exciting things to collect than sports memorabilia.