Advice for Collectors of Autographed Sports Memorabilia

Back in the day, your typical collector of autographed sports memorabilia was a bright-eyed kid hanging around the stadium and praying for a chance to get his hero’s signature on that foul ball he caught. It didn’t take long for entrepreneurs of various stripes to figure out that there was profit to be made in sports autographs, though. Today, autographed sports memorabilia is a multi-million dollar business, and finding genuine sports memorabilia can be tricky. If you’re just getting started in sports collectibles, sports memorabilia or autographed sports memorabilia, these tips can help you enjoy your hobby and find quality pieces for your collection.

Follow Your Heart

Are you buying sports memorabilia as an investment or because you love sports? If your answer is the latter – or both – the best advice you’ll get is to specialize in buying what you love. The best defense against fake sports memorabilia is knowing your niche. It’s a lot harder for someone to pass off a fake autograph or piece of game-used sports memorabilia when you know your stuff. More importantly, when you collect pieces that you love, you’ll get more enjoyment from your hobby. In addition to the fun of tracking down items you want and the triumph of finding that special autograph, you get to enjoy your collection over and over again whenever you look at it or display it.

Buy from Trusted Sources

Unfortunately, the increased value of autographed sports memorabilia has brought the scammers out of the woodwork. Over the past few years, there have been several scandals in the sport memorabilia industry. They underscore the importance of being able to rely on the purchaser to provide authentication for any sports collectible or sports memorabilia you buy from them. After all, unless you’re knowledgeable enough to be able to authenticate an autograph yourself, you need to trust the buyer.

Finding a Reputable Dealer

The most important thing you can do to make sure you’re getting genuine sports collectibles is to research the qualifications and reputation of the seller. The sports collectibles community is small enough that most dealers are well-known, so you can learn a lot just by asking around on Internet forums devoted to sports collecting. In addition, you should check into the background of the dealer, including any professional credentials they may have and whether they self-authenticate or use third-party authentication services.

Finally, always be suspicious of prices for autographed sports memorabilia that are too good to be true. If someone is offering a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth or a basketball with Magic Johnson’s signature for $50 when other sources are pricing the same items at $1,000, the chances are pretty good that it’s not a genuine piece of sports memorabilia.

Collecting autographed sports memorabilia is a rewarding hobby in many ways. Take the time to know your dealer and you’ll always be happy with your purchases.