Thursday, July 24, 2014

Most Collected Items


Stamps – People have been collecting stamps for a long time. The collection can last and take a lifetime and people may try to reach milestones, such as collecting a stamp from every country.

Stuffed Animals – Whether it’s taxidermy enthusiasts or people who just like to keep stuff animals for memories sake, or to keep up with the current trends (Beanie Babies, Tickle Me Elmo, Furbys…), collecting stuffed animals has become a huge trend.

Memorabilia – Franchise memorabilia from popular culture – TV shows, movies, sports teams, etc. – is a great way to start a collection based off something you already enjoy, and it’s a hobby many people are already taking part in!


For the finest, authentic TV show memorabilia, sports memorabilia and all the popular memorabilia you could want, check out Millionaire Memorabilia today.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Glam Up Your Décor with Vintage Movie Memorabilia for a Golden Age of Hollywood Theme

When it comes to home theater décor, movie memorabilia is a no-brainer. Movie posters, Hollywood memorabilia and the stray TV show poster here and there – they’re a natural fit with a room designed for audio and visual entertainment. There’s so much available out there, though, that it’s easy to get overwhelmed when trying to pick and choose. From action movies to big screen Westerns, there’s absolutely something for everyone available on the movie collectibles market. Why not let Hollywood’s Golden Era guide your decorating aesthetic and turn your home theater into an homage to the glam and glitz of classic Hollywood films?
Classic Hollywood Memorabilia
Pick a handful of signed classic movie posters, framed to show them off to their best effect. You can stick with one genre or spread your taste around. Theater cards and lobby cards are fairly widely available, and many of them bear the signatures of the stars. Celebrate the era of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Seven Year Itch with iconic movie posters and celebrity autographs on publicity stills and photos of such major glam stars as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy.
Celebrate the Glamour
Not sure which classic movies should find a place on your walls? Here’s a list of some of the most glamorous movies of all time to help you make your choice.
Gone With the Wind
Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh brought Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara to the Silver Screen with all of their character foibles and excesses intact. As one of the most famous and loved movies of all time, you’ll find quite a lot of GWTW movie memorabilia available, from framed movie posters and theater cards to photos and classic movie scenes. Play it big with a framed and matted collection of Gone with the Wind laser engraved celebrity autographs along with publicity photos of all the stars.
The African Queen
Glamorous Katherine Hepburn stayed classy even when facing the rigors of an African voyage with riverboat captain, Humphrey Bogart. The publicity movie poster is still a stunning piece of movie memorabilia that shows the two stars in all their Technicolor glory. They deserve a place of honor on any wall of Hollywood legends.
Casablanca
Bogey and Bergman lit up the screen in Casablanca, cementing both stars as legends. Here’s looking at you, kid, for having the good taste to hang the framed and matted movie poster on the wall of your home theater.
Classic movie collectibles are the ideal movie memorabilia to bring a touch of real movie glamor to your new home theater. Go on – glitz up your home theater décor with some of the classiest leading ladies and men of the Golden Era.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Spark Your Office, Boardroom or Restaurant Décor with Autographed Sports Memorabilia

Revamping your sports bar or looking for a way to spark up the décor in your restaurant? Sports memorabilia isn’t just for sports bars anymore. Over the years, as more and more sports celebrities have entered the hospitality business, the face of the “typical” sports bar has undergone a dramatic change. Nowhere is that change reflected more clearly than in the décor, where autographed sports memorabilia is often displayed in fine frames and lighted display cases. And the change has made its way out of the sports lounges and into formal dining rooms, high-end conference rooms and boardrooms around the country. If you’re looking for a way to bring some upscale feel to your public space – whether it be corporate or hospitality – consider these ideas for adding sports memorabilia to your decorating scheme.
Highlight Your Collection with the Right Display
Don’t just hang an autographed jersey on the wall and call it done. Instead, make it the centerpiece of an entire display. Even better, create a series of displays centering around an autographed jersey surrounded by celebrity autographs, action photos and other autographed sports memorabilia. In a restaurant, center sports memorabilia collections on opposite walls, or greet guests with a lighted display of autographed balls and photos. In a boardroom, flank the head of the conference table with a pair of displays hung behind it on the wall. Whatever type of memorabilia you choose, be sure to highlight it with a complementary display.
Go Off the Grid
Step outside the big ticket draw of professional team sports and highlight individual sports in the corporate office or boardrooms. Golf photographs can buff up the traditional air in any professional setting, whether they’re photographs of golf champions like Palmer and Mickelson or views of famous golf venues like Swilcan Bridge at St. Andrews. You’ll find celebrity autographs and signed sports memorabilia related to tennis, NASCAR, boxing, cycling and even Olympic sports, giving you all sorts of options for decorating your waiting room or boardroom with out of the ordinary sports images and memorabilia.
Don’t Confine Your Sports Memorabilia Collection
While it can be very impressive to display an entire collection in one room or area, don’t underestimate the effect of distributing the best pieces of your autographed sports memorabilia collection throughout the entire office. It’s a great way to carry the theme of champions and strength from room to room throughout the building.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Collecting Autographed Sports Memorabilia

Does the sound of a bat slamming a ball out of the park make your heart go pitter pat? Do you thrill to the sight of a football arcing cleanly through the goalposts? Do you love everything about a sport or a particular player? Collecting autographed sports memorabilia may be just the hobby for you. If you’re just starting out in your collection of autographed sports memorabilia, these tips can help you amass a collection that’s interesting and potentially valuable.
 
Specialize
Many collectors make the mistake of being too general in their acquisitions. The most interesting and valuable collections are those that have a focus. You can choose to focus broadly and collect football memorabilia or hockey memorabilia, or you can focus your collection more finely. Instead of collecting baseball memorabilia, collect autographed baseballs, for example.
There’s another advantage to specializing in a particular sports memorabilia niche – knowledge. When you focus your attention on collecting one particular type of sport memorabilia, you’ll amass a great deal of knowledge about that particular niche. That allows you to spot items that other people might miss, and more importantly, to avoid getting taken in by fakes and frauds.
Choose High Quality Items
Better quality items will always be worth more money than the same item in poor condition. Given a choice, always choose high quality collectibles, sports memorabilia and sports autographs in good condition. An autographed sports poster in pristine condition will fetch far more than the same celebrity autographs on a creased poster.
Cultivate Reputable Dealers
There are dozens of dealers selling autographed sports memorabilia, both online and off. The single most important thing you can do for your collecting career is to cultivate a relationship with a reputable dealer of celebrity autographs and autographed sports memorabilia. Not only will you be able to trust the items you buy from that dealer, but he’ll keep you in mind. If you collect basketball memorabilia, for example, and he comes across an autographed game shirt worn by your favorite b-baller, he’ll drop you a line to give you first shot at it.

Trust But Verify
Celebrity autographs are among the most faked types of sports memorabilia on the market. Unless you’re an expert yourself, always have any autographed sports memorabilia authenticated by a reputable third-party appraiser.
Collecting autographed sports memorabilia can be a fun hobby that leads to a valuable collection. The more you know about the sport you’re collecting, the better are your chances of acquiring authentic, valuable pieces of sports memorabilia.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Top Ten Most Forged Signatures on Autographed Sports Memorabilia

Autographed sports memorabilia has become one of the hottest segments of the memorabilia market. The popularity – and value – of signed baseball memorabilia, football memorabilia, basketball memorabilia and hockey memorabilia has also made sports autographs among the most forged signatures in the world of memorabilia. Celebrity autographs are very collectible, but items with these signatures have a high likelihood of being faked, according to a major memorabilia authenticator.


Baseball Memorabilia



Babe Ruth, whose signature can be found on anything from baseball cards to baseballs and other types of baseball memorabilia, is one of the most forged celebrity autographs of all, with a fake rate of about 60 percent.
Lou Gehrig, whose signature on a single-signed baseball can bring as much as $60,000, is often forged.
Mickey Mantle had one of the most-wanted signatures in the hobby of collecting sports memorabilia. The value of Mantle celebrity autographs is lower than that of many other players in large part because he was a prolific signer who did many autograph events. Even so, authenticators suggest that there are more fakes available than genuine Mantle autographs.
Ted Williams, the long-time pride of the Boston Red Sox, is also high on the list of forged celebrity autographs despite the fact that demand for his signature has decreased slightly over the years.
Albert Pujols, LA Angels first baseman, may not have acquired the widespread name recognition with the general public enjoyed by the others on the most-forged autographed sports memorabilia list, but the scarcity of authentic celebrity autographs from Pujols has made his a popular signature for fakes.
Basketball Memorabilia
Michael Jordan signed tens of thousands of items of sports memorabilia while he was under contract with Upper Deck Authenticated, but that hasn’t stopped forgers from trying to profit off this reputation.
LeBron James is wildly popular, especially after his 2011 MVP award, but his autograph is one of the most in-person signatures to get. With the value of a single-signed LeBron basketball coming close to $500, his signature is a popular target for forgers.
Kobe Bryant has five basketball championships to his credit, and a lot of authentic celebrity autographs available on the market. The demand for Kobe Bryant signatures has made the basketball superstar a popular target for forged basketball memorabilia.
Miscellaneous Sports Memorabilia
Muhammad Ali, perhaps the best-known boxer of all time, put in a lot of time signing collectibles, sports memorabilia and other items. Even so, his signature is in high demand and there are many forgeries of his signature floating around.
Tiger Woods may have lost some of his luster recently, his autographs are still in high demand, placing Tiger Woods autographed sports memorabilia high on the list of most-forged signatures.
The best way to protect yourself from forgeries and ensure that you’re buying genuine autographed sports memorabilia is to always buy through a reputable memorabilia dealer that uses a third party authentication service to verify the signatures on the items they sell.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Unusual Finds in Autographed Sports Memorabilia and Movie Memorabilia

Collectors love autographed sports memorabilia and signed movie memorabilia. From autographed game jerseys to signed guitars and signed movie posters, celebrity autographs carry a special cachet with collectors that ordinary movie memorabilia and sports collectibles don’t have. Even so, there are some pieces of movie and sports memorabilia that are more collectible than others. Every once in a while, an especially rare or popular piece of Hollywood memorabilia or autographed sports memorabilia crops up that is met with a great deal of interest and high demand. These are a few collectibles that have lit up the market in the past few years.
Star Wars Poster
Star Wars posters are always in big demand. As one of the longest lasting and most popular movie franchises of all times, Star Wars has spawned an entire industry of Star Wars collectibles, toys and posters. Easily the most popular of all Star Wars movie posters is the Star Wars The Duel poster, featuring Luke Skywalker facing off against Darth Vader. Celebrity autographs make this particular poster even more valuable and push it up onto the most wanted list.
James Bond
In the world of movie franchises, James Bond is in a class by itself. While most of the “series” movie franchises have been the creative vision of one particular producer or director, James Bond has captured the creative vision of numerous directors, producers and stars. It is also unique in that the title character has been played by a variety of stars, and each of them has placed an indelible stamp on the character. Roger Moore, Sean Connery and others have each breathed life into the debonair 007, and each has his proponents regarding the claim to be the best Bond of all time. While all James Bond movie posters are collectible, some of the most valued pieces of Bond memorabilia are those that combine several versions of James Bond in one frame.
Autographed Sports Memorabilia
As game rooms and man caves become more and more popular, sales of autographed sports memorabilia are hitting record highs. There are a few items that always seem to make it onto every list of “ideas for a man cave” – and they nearly all have to do with sports collectibles, sports memorabilia and autographed sports memorabilia. Game jerseys are high on the list of most wanted items, with game-worn items always in the highest demand. The most popular of all game jerseys and other sports and team memorabilia are those worn by superstars in major games. Their rarity and significance gives them an added cachet.
Collecting autographed sports memorabilia and movie memorabilia is more than a fun hobby. It can add a distinctive touch to your home décor and, if you choose carefully, make you a little extra cash if and when you decide to sell your collection.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Buying Autographed Sports Memorabilia for Collectors

Sports fans are inveterate collectors of sports memorabilia. They hang onto the ticket stubs from the games they attend. They buy team-tagged swag at games and at their favorite stores. They hang team posters on their walls save collectible team photos from their local newspapers. They collect stats and “official” team game jerseys and licensed sports merchandise. Few of them take the next step into serious sports collecting, though – collecting genuine, authenticated autographed sports memorabilia.
Why Collect Genuine Autographed Sports Memorabilia?
While authenticated sports autographs and memorabilia related to the various professional sports can be valuable, money and profit is seldom the reason that the typical sports autograph buff collects autographed sports memorabilia. Celebrity autographs and signed collectible sports memorabilia carry their own cachet that makes them attractive to the collector. It may be hero worship, love of the game, admiration for a particular sports player or a sense of belonging. Whatever the reason they collect, though, sports lovers and those who gather autographed sports collectibles are at a different level than those who lay out $25 to buy the program at the basketball game.
The Value Factor
Value may be in the eye of the beholder, but there’s no doubt that genuine basketball memorabilia is more valuable than the $25 program – unless, of course, you manage to get a few highly-sought-after autographs – and evidence that those sports autographs are genuine.
Authenticity is a major factor in the value of a piece of baseball memorabilia, football memorabilia or basketball memorabilia. Experienced collectors won’t even consider paying for an autographed sports photo, game ball, autographed game jersey or other type of sport memorabilia without some proof that the signature is genuine. Reputable dealers would never dream of selling, for example, a baseball autographed by Cal Ripken without including a certificate of authenticity attesting to it being a genuine signature.
Of course, the mere presence of a certificate of authenticity is no guarantee. It is, after all, even easier to fake a certificate than it is to fake the autograph of a famous gridiron hero or baseball superstar. If you’re thinking of buying an autographed sports photo or game jersey for a sports fan in your life, and you’re not an expert in the field of collecting sports memorabilia, skip that awesome bargain-priced “game-worn” basketball jersey that you found for sale on eBay. Instead, do your research to find a reputable dealer of autographed sports memorabilia and do your shopping safely. You’ll avoid being disappointed and ensure that the sports mementoes you buy are the real thing.