Popular Types of Sports Memorabilia

Collecting sports memorabilia has become a popular hobby, and an even more popular way of decorating the typical man cave. If you’re looking for ideas for a man cave, consider one of these popular types of sports memorabilia.

Sports Jerseys

Framed and signed sports jerseys are among the most popular types of sports memorabilia. Whether you collect football memorabilia, basketball memorabilia, hockey memorabilia or baseball memorabilia, you’ll find major league sports jerseys, signed by your favorite sports superstars, available for sale on sites that sell sports and movie memorabilia.

There are two basic classifications of sports jerseys available. The more valued are game-worn jerseys, that is, jerseys that were actually worn during a major league game. A game-worn jersey should be accompanied by a certificate authenticating its provenance, and will usually show signs of having been worn. The certificate may even include the date of the game in which it was worn, and may be accompanied by a photograph of the player wearing the jersey. That kind of detail is rare, however.

The other classification of sports jerseys as sports memorabilia is a signed jersey that has not been worn in a game. These are obviously far less valuable, but still make a nice framed display for your den or game room wall.

Celebrity Autographs

Autographed photos have always been and will always be popular sports memorabilia. The most valuable celebrity autographs are those that are rarest. Look for photos that were hand-signed and action shots with authenticated signatures of the players in the shot.

Sports Tickets

Less common and less popular than sports jerseys, sports tickets can become sports collectibles for any number of reasons. Tickets to Super Bowl games, for example, can become highly collectible if they’re part of a framed display that includes tickets to every Bowl game, or if they are part of a sports memorabilia display for a particular sports franchise or player. In that case, an autographed Super Bowl ticket included in a frame with photos of players in the game, a game-worn jersey or other memorabilia from the player’s career can be of considerably more value than the ticket on its own.

Autographed sports memorabilia and movie memorabilia are among the most popular home décor items for dens, man caves and home theater décor. When you choose a piece of artwork that has a place in sports or entertainment history, you’re getting more than a picture for your wall. You’re buying a piece of history.

Most Popular Types of Autographed Sports Memorabilia

Autographed sports memorabilia has always been among the most popular of all types of entertainment collectibles, but some types of sports memorabilia are more popular than others. If you’re just starting to collect memorabilia – or are just wondering if your favorite sports collectibles are on the most popular list – here’s a rundown of some of the most sought-after types of sports autographs.

Trading Cards

Signed or unsigned, sports trading cards have always been popular sports collectibles – but of course, autographed cards bring much higher value than unsigned cards. Since 1990, manufacturers have often inserted player-signed cards into collectible packs, so there are quite a few of them floating around. The condition of the card, its relative rarity and the popularity of the player will all play a part in determining the value of any particular trading card.

Autographed Balls

Game-used balls are also high on the list of the most popular autographed sports memorabilia. Surprisingly, balls signed by a single player are more valuable than those signed by several players, with a few notable exceptions, such as a championship game ball signed by every member of the winning team. Many athletes also sign balls – or, in the case of hockey memorabilia, hockey pucks – that haven’t ever seen game play. Those non-game balls will be worth less, but are easier to get. Always look for authentication of both the sports autograph and the game-use status of any piece of sports memorabilia.

Game Jerseys

Game jerseys have exploded in popularity as collectibles sports memorabilia in the past decade. Game-worn jerseys are popular football memorabilia, basketball memorabilia and hockey memorabilia. Again, there’s a difference in value between game-worn jerseys and autographed jerseys that were not worn on the court or on the field. Look for sweat stains, wear and tear or other signs of proof that the shirt was actually worn in a game before plunking down a bonus for a game-worn piece of autographed sports memorabilia.

Game-Used Equipment

Balls aren’t the only popular items in the world of sports and entertainment collectibles. Virtually any piece of equipment used in a game or in a practice can have some value to a sports collector. That includes such things as signed tee flags from golf tournaments or referee flags used in a football game.

If you’re considering the purchase of autographed sports memorabilia, make sure that you’re buying from a trusted buyer or ask for a certificate of authenticity from a certified third party authenticator. Collecting sports memorabilia is fun – but getting cheated is no fun for anyone.