Back in the day, you wouldn’t associate sports memorabilia with the word investment. Nobody probably imagined there would come a time when a match-worn shirt or cap would fetch thousands of dollars. Take for example Pelé’s 1970 World Cup winning shirt – it was bought at the London Auction House Christie’s in 2002 for a whopping £157,750! It was sold by former Italian footballer Roberto Rosato who exchanged shirts with Pelé after the match (if you don’t know Pele, you don’t know football:)
Aside from match-worn shirts or caps, other sports memorabilia with potential for high value are as follows:
- Autographed Jerseys
- Autographed balls & bats
- Autographed cards
- Medals of sporting “greats”
- Signed photographs
- Sports items with historical value example Olympic torches
Based on several sports memorabilia analysts, the value of an item goes higher only when the players have retired and have established themselves as pillars of the game. In fact, like most items, its value gets bigger when the person who owned it has departed from this life.
Online Shopping Sites
Internet sites such as eBay have seen the rise of sports memorabilia sold online and although plenty of sports fans have been lucky enough to get their hands on such great deals, a few have encountered fake items. So if you’re planning to buy an autographed jersey, do your due diligence and make sure you’re dealing with legit sellers.
Sports Memorabilia as Collateral
A lot of lucky collectors have raked in thousands to millions of dollars by selling sports items stashed in their attics. Others have used these sports memorabilia to acquire loans – such as small business owners or entrepreneurs who need quick cash. There are two sides of the coin here – some would sell their sports memorabilia outright to avoid paying interest rates, while some would rather take out a loan, pay interest rates than part with their precious items. It’s quick, easy, and there isn’t much to worry about as most of these appraisers or lenders are professionals in their field and know when they’ve struck gold with an item or not.
At the end of the day, a major reason to invest in sports memorabilia, aside from sentimental reasons is cash. And with the turbulent economy, quick cash or emergency funds are always welcome to anyone who’s ever needed it – whether it’s because you’ve been recently unemployed or you’re starting a business.
An Afterthought
Now before you go on collecting just every piece of sports memorabilia you get your hands on, there is much research to be done before you dive in. Acquiring sports memorabilia is a good investment only if you know the merchandise you’re buying (is the sports popular, is it personality bound for greatness, etc) and you’ve done your homework.
Also, remember that fans treasure these sports memorabilia as they envelope a piece of history worth more than the money it was paid for.