Archive for the ‘Sports Memorabilia’ Category

Interesting Information About Steiner Sports Memorabilia

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

This article explains a few things about Sports Memorabilia, and if you’re interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don’t know.

The man who was founder and chairman of Steiner Sports Marketing was called nothing short of a sports marketing guru. He was not an athlete, but is indeed a sports collectibles expert. An all-star authority on the business of sports and one of the most influential figures, Brandon Steiner is an intelligent and complex individual in his own right. He designed a partnership with the New York Yankees and the New York Mets and formed a relationship with hundreds of athletes.
Steiner Sports became a full service sports marketing and events company. It is well known for handling much more than sports memorabilia, but this only helps to verify that it is a reputable and respectable company in the area of sports memorabilia. There are more than 10,000 collectible items offered, guaranteed authenticity, signature witnessing, tamper resistant seals, and certificates provided.

Mr. Steiner began his own radio show involving interviews with athletes, which included a weekly call-in about memorabilia. The show broadcast out of a Sirius studio. He sold the sports marketing business to Omnicom Group Inc. in the fall of 2000. The honorable former owner of Steiner Sports was committed to charity groups of several sorts. He had community involvement with the boys’ home ‘Jerome Wagner Youth Residence for Boys’. He was also a part of Hillside Food Outreach, the Twin Tower Fund (raising about $300,000), the Turn 2 Foundation (motivating youth to turn from drugs and alcohol), the PS 55 group (speaking at schools and colleges on his own struggles and successes), and Camp Sussex (being committed to rebuilding positive encouragement and giving personal attention to kids with limited financial means so they could leave the city for the summer and gain social skills, become creative, and be in a nurturing environment). These types of values alone should endear him to the hearts of sports collectors because of the character of the man who built one of the most successful businesses based on sports related things.

So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Sports Memorabilia. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

Distributors connected to Steiner Sports include Athlon Sports Collectibles, Hall of Heroes Stores, Pro Sports Memorabilia, Sports Images, and Rich Sports & DJP – Signature Collectibles, Inc.

Free shipping for orders over $200 is offered. A very few of the sports memorabilia offered includes a $600 basketball, $250 baseballs, photographs at $130 and $150, trading cards at $100, and items for children. Some of these include banners, teddy bears, bat, glove and ball rack, trading card packages, chessboards, dart boards, footballs, mini helmets, and a Brandon Steiner playbook at $20.

The focus seems to be on the sports of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, tennis, boxing, and the Olympics.
Perhaps a true sports fan would want to include collectibles associated with Brandon Steiner himself! Sure to be long-remembered for his own personable connections in the sports world, he has made it possible for thousands of fans to be assured of a reliable connection to their love of memorabilia. Generations will continue to enjoy memories of items bought and shared for years to come because of one man’s passion in the sports world.

About the Author
Have you visited Anders’ latest site for adsense publishers? Download new fresh sites in this all new site, called Adsense Ready Websites

Appraisals for Sports Memorabilia

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Sports Memorabilia in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.

When you invest in sports memorabilia, you often don’t realize how much the value can climb by the time you choose to sell. Likewise, it could decrease in value as well.

Appraisal is a must for the serious sports collector. People have been sorely disappointed because they didn’t get their items appraised for value and then sold them for a fraction of their worth.

Some places to check for appraisals for sports memorabilia include:

1.) AllAuthentic Sports Memorabilia-professionals who can provide references and offer instant appraisals

2.) Vintage Sports Memorabilia Appraisals-has a sports artifacts library for thousands of vintage sports items, prefers email requests limited to two items, nothing newer than 1980.

3.) Krause Standard Catalog of Sports Memorabilia Price Guide

4.) Robert Connelly-He does clinics on appraisals. He’s a member of the American Society of Appraisers and was honored by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

The best time to learn about Sports Memorabilia is before you’re in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable Sports Memorabilia experience while it’s still free.

5.) American Legends-Provides paid appraisals, founded in 1992.

6.) Sports Memorabilia Appraisal Expert Witness-Provides an 800 #, volunteers background information to help give reference to its value as an appraisal business.

Besides the importance of appraisals for resale value, you may want to seriously consider having your valuable insured. Insurance companies also may not recognize the value unless you’ve had an appraisal done. Make sure you have documented proof.

There is a Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice which is recognized in courts and acceptable to banks, insurance companies, auction houses, and the IRS.
Don’t just depend on a local sports shop or whatever available appraisal you come across. Also, consider that paying for more than one opinion is worthwhile if a lot of money is involved and if it gives you peace of mind.
Prices will change, so you’ll want an updated value before decided to sell. Retired players hold their value better because their status won’t change.

Make sure you sell to the right person or business. Just because an item is listed as one amount doesn’t mean the dealer will agree to pay that amount.

Sweat stains don’t necessarily make a jersey authentic. Anyone can wear a jersey long enough to sweat in it and try to pass it off as the real thing. Watch for smudged autographs, dog-eared pages in books, worn edges on cards. An appraiser should be trained to notice small details that would decrease the value of your collector’s item.
There is a system with trading cards called grading. A graded card has a more reasonable guarantee of authenticity. Graded cards are sealed to discourage card switching, a low tactic of some sellers. The appraiser should know to recognize graded cards and their value.

When my daughter was involved in card collecting and bought a box of cards that seemed like a great deal to her, she was soon sorely disappointed. The only authentic card was the one in the display on the front of the box. All the rest were fakes, worthless. It was a waste of her hard-earned and long saved allowance. So beware of this type of scam when you buy a group of items. The appraisal value will be zero!

Is there really any information about Sports Memorabilia that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

About the Author
Have you visited Anders’ latest site for adsense publishers? Download new fresh sites in this all new site, called Adsense Ready Websites

Sports Cards and Memorabilia Stores in Houston, Tx

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

How do you find sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx? This is Longhorn country. Have you ever sat in front of the TV on a Saturday afternoon and watch one of the Texas Longhorn games? The attendance is unbelievable. If you are looking for sports cards memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx if you watch the TV screen closely at these games you will see every kind of memorabilia you can ever think of for the Texas Longhorns. This is truly a college community and a sports minded community. You’ll be able to find just about any kind of sports card or any other kind of memorabilia that you have ever thought of. There is a wide assortment of sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx for your shopping pleasure.

Don’t forget now that this is a large community and vendors tend to flock to areas where there are plenty of buyers. Don’t be too busy to examine the large quantity of sports cards that are available. You will find baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, golf cards and more. There are a lot of card collectors and you just may be able to do some trading with other collectors while you are in the area. Sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx will give you a wonderful opportunity to enlarge your collection. You will be able to find memorabilia in the form of apparel, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, helmets and masks, trophies, even replicas of Memorial Stadium.

Most of this information comes straight from the Sports Memorabilia pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you’ll know what they know.

These items are found for a variety of teams including the Houston Rockets and local colleges in the area. But even more so these stores will provide you with an opportunity to find memorabilia for most of the large schools and most of the professional teams. Be prepared to take your time and shop around for the best values and prices. On the local college campuses the assortment of items may be greater for that particular school. These stores are usually open to the public and you will get a chance to see the array of memorabilia that is available. Even in the college bookstores you have many items that you will be able to add to your memorabilia collection.

The good thing about sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx is that sometimes the athlete may visit the store while you are there. Just think what it would be like for you to get a closer look of your sports hero. You just never know when the opportunity will come. You are usually simply amazed at the size of the athlete close up. Don’t forget there are other stores in the area with a sports memorabilia inventory. Some of these stores are found in museums and sports complexes such as the Houston Astrodome. What you cannot find in one place you may very well be able to find it in one or more of the specialty shops that are in the area.

The large hotel chains lease retail space in their complexes therefore you may be able to find a sports store with in your live in zone. When you are able to find these kinds of stores and eating facilities what a convenience it is not to have to find your way around in a large Metropolitan area.

When word gets around about your command of Sports Memorabilia facts, others who need to know about Sports Memorabilia will start to actively seek you out.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!

What Do You Know about Sports Memorabilia?

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Sports memorabilia includes collectibles of all types. Although some immediately think football or baseball when sports collectibles come to mind, there are many more types of sports that have valuable collectibles.

The world of sports is a vast and varied world. Sports all over the globe bring value to the items associated with the sports and famous players. There is the sport of figure skating, horseracing, rugby, soccer, hockey, basketball, wrestling, swimming, track and field, tennis, diving, gymnastics, fencing, cycling, archery, weightlifting, sled dog racing, motorcycle racing, martial arts, lacrosse, boxing, golf, bobsledding, auto racing, and events associated with a rodeo, just to name a few!

For many sports items to be valuable as collectibles, they must be kept in flawless condition. The older and less flawed an item is, the more money it will be worth in the future. Many people will invest in this memorabilia for the sake of their children and grandchildren and guard it as though it were priceless. Not only is it an honor to receive something of such magnitude, it is a matter of personal pride for the person who originally obtained the item.

Sports memorabilia are a wide range, including everything from the traditional trading cards to items owned and often worn by the sports figure that became famous. An often overlooked area of interest is that of books. Many sports figures have written books about their lives, private and public. Many books are valuable just because of the person’s popularity with the public, even if the person was known for being ruthless or rude.

So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Sports Memorabilia. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

A few books that may be of interest include: Skate by Steve Milton, A Year in Figure Skating by Beverly Smith, A Golfer’s Life by Arnold Palmer with James Dodson, Kareem by Kareem Abdul Jabbar with Mignon McCarthy, Baseball Card Price Guide by Dr. James Beckett and Grant Sandground, and Baseball Desk Reference by Lawrence Lorimer.

Figure skating is an area that offers interesting collectibles. The first female skater to achieve fame was the German Professional ‘Charlotte’. A magazine called ‘Women’s Home Companion’ featured a spread on her in 1916.

Product endorsements also provide worthy collectible items. Timex featured Barbara Ann Scott, another female skater and a Canadian. She achieved an Olympic victory in 1948. That prompted a sale of thousands of dolls of her likeness. Another early female skater in demand as a doll was Karen Magnussen.

Of course, the most widespread collectibles in sports memorabilia seems to be cards. It’s fairly low cost to get a child started with a baseball card collection. Although it can become a high cost ordeal as the child becomes an avid die-hard fan and learns to recognize the value of card collecting, a collection is something that may take years to obtain and may never be considered complete. This type of interest will help teach the child responsibility among other things. They must keep the cards from curious friends who haven’t learned the value of collecting and greedy adults who may try to talk the child out of a precious possession.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!

Sports Memorabilia Collectors

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Have you ever wondered if what you know about Sports Memorabilia is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on Sports Memorabilia.

Devoted fans have been known to donate whole rooms of their homes to items they’ve collected in connection with sports figures. These people will spend years searching, investing, and perfecting the displays of precious sports memorabilia.
Anyone who knows a serious sports collector knows that even a tiny fingerprint on a valuable piece could bring a gasp of disapproval from the owner. They can truly possess an obsessive protection of their belongings. To disrespect their passion is to insult them. Something broken, chipped, or smudged can spell disaster.

There are some unusual sports events that prompt people to become collectors of sports memorabilia. Archery, badminton, canoeing, equestrian sports, judo, aerobatics, rowing, shooting, table tennis, and yachting are names of a few.

Archery would prompt a person to collect things like bows, arrows, targets, photos of their favorite archers, or score cards. One famous archer is Justin Huish, who won two gold medals at the 1996 Olympics.

The auto racing industry has a huge fan base allowing for an immense amount of sports memorabilia. Hawthorne Village created a train called ‘Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Express’. It’s a relatively new creation and costs around $80. Motorsports artist Sam Bass placed paint schemes of Dale’s cars and his signature logo on each car.
There are collectibles that don’t need a signature to be valuable.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

Instant conversation can be obtained through the subject of sports memorabilia. Most collectors are happy to share what they’ve gained, how they got it, the story that goes along with it. It gives them a few minutes of their own glory and admiration just by their association with the sought after items they may own.

Sometimes a rare piece of memorabilia can be discovered at a garage sale. This brings a thrill to the avid collector. Maybe its part of an estate sale of an uncle who never told about his special treasures, passed them onto a relative who had no interest in sports, and were thrown into the sale as silly old junk. This can seem like gold to someone who recognizes its worth.

Some people even treasure what they wore to an event themselves as part of their sports memorabilia collection. They may keep the tickets to the event, their menu of the day or night, and so on.

In many ways, sports figures enjoy the same fame as actors and actresses of Hollywood. They may suffer the same privacy issues, the same stalking fears, the same crazed fans grabbing for any piece of their clothing. Even a used package from the peanuts on an airplane flight can’t escape if a famous sports figure ate from it. An unscrupulous care giver may also try to capitalize on someone’s fame. Dentals have access to dental impressions and x-rays, housekeepers have access to private belongings, gardeners have access to the tools and flowers. Even the belongings of their children aren’t safe from scrutiny. Care has to be taken with disposal of their belongings. Their trash is even subject for collecting!

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!

Where Are Sports Memorabilia Displays Located

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

The only way to keep up with the latest about Sports Memorabilia is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Sports Memorabilia, it won’t take long for you to become an influential authority.

When you think of sports memorabilia displays it is natural to think of museums. You know how captivating and enthralling an interesting display can be for you. Every other person has an interest to some degree in one sport or another. There are designated museums that display nothing but sports memorabilia. Each community has its own interest when it comes to sports. If you are in stock car country then you will find an abundance of stock-car memorabilia. Every crook and crummy will promote one or more of the stock-car drivers. As you drive along the countryside in these communities you will find billboards telling you where to stop to see and find sports memorabilia displays.

In many instances these are not just displays but an opportunity for the vendor or the organizers to sell and to promote the sport. Some of these billboards are large enough to provide a calendar of events. A week or so before a big event of perhaps a month before the big event you will find sports memorabilia displays as an added venue for promoting the event. These displays may be found in service stations, the malls, and some restaurants. It all boils down to who owns the facility. When you go to one of these sporting events you feel like you are at a festival.

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Sports Memorabilia. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

Amid the loud speaker, the popcorn selling, cotton candy, hotdogs, and all the other food vending you will see sports memorabilia displays scattered throughout the area. You are sure to find just about what ever you are looking for to add to your collection. These displays help to make the event fun and provide food for conversation. How many times have you stopped to look at a display of any sort and bumped into an old friend? The two of you no doubt visited for a while. More than likely this is a familiar scenario to you. In the sports arena many ideas are exchanged in these conversations and it helps to promote the sale of items in the sports memorabilia displays. The type of items displayed has much to do with where the display is located. If you are in a collectible shop you no doubt will find a potpourri of items on display. In a display of this nature the general public is the target.

On the other hand if you are on a college campus more than likely you will find sports memorabilia displays geared to the activities of that college and maybe a handful representing the conference of which the college is a member. Let’s face it there is no need to display items that the immediate environment has no interests. Traveling sports memorabilia displays are usually geared to the general public or perhaps a specific event. Some of these displays will be on the road for several events before returning to headquarters. Therefore a very large inventory will be on display to promote whatever event is taking place. Some sports memorabilia displays are just displays. There is no selling but a chance for the general public to see and appreciate items representing a certain phase of history in the sports world.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, author of this Free Adsense eBook — make sure to claim your free adsense ebook download!

All About Ohio State Sports Memorabilia

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

This article explains a few things about Sports Memorabilia, and if you’re interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don’t know.

If you are looking for Ohio State sports memorabilia, it is a no-brainer. You really don’t even have to look hard to find something with Ohio State on it. When you are a large division one NCAA school with a winning athletic program, every vendor will try and have something representing this program. The website is full of information about the buckeye program. There are any numbers of websites selling Ohio State sports memorabilia. It just depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to pay for it. If this is the case then you may very well find what you’re looking for on one of the auction sites like eBay or Yahoo. Then you will have a chance to somewhat controlled the price by making your bid. Make sure you know what you are bidding on. Whenever you are bidding on the web look for the dealers rating and comments made by previous customers. This will give you some insight about the person you are dealing with.

In some communities there are malls with athletic shops and sporting-goods shops. Don’t fail to look in these stores, because they carry merchandise from all of the storied programs such as Ohio State. Anytime you find a school, college or university with a successful athletic program and always in the news more than likely any sporting goods store you go into will have some of their merchandise. These sporting-goods stores are licensed to sell merchandise from these colleges and universities. Even with these stores it is necessary to look at your merchandise closely.

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Sports Memorabilia. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

One way or another copies have found their way into some of these stores. It was not too long ago that a major store in a mall was cited for having illegal sporting merchandise. Nevertheless it may not have been intentional but an example of not knowing what you are buying on the wholesale market. It is a safe bet that when you buy directly from Ohio State you have what you are looking for. Large schools tend to have their own sporting-goods stores. These stores generate funds for the athletic programs. Usually the conferences that these schools represent will have a sporting goods store also. Proceeds from the stores are shared among the member schools. The Ohio State sports memorabilia is placed in the conference stores and sporting-goods shops along with memorabilia from other big ten colleges. In most of these conferences this is a shared venture even among those schools that do not have breaking news success.

The Ohio State buckeyes have alumni scattered all across the country. Therefore there is always a demand for the Ohio State sports memorabilia. But even if you have never even seen the state or the Ohio State campus you know there are those who idolize the unseen. There are also those “would have been and should have been” fans waiting to cheer on their favorite teams. This is especially true among those who played the sport. So no matter where you are you will always find some Ohio State sports memorabilia.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest acquisition: Free Google Traffic System and make sure to visit my bonus site!

Sports Cards and Memorabilia Stores in Houston, Tx

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

How do you find sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx? This is Longhorn country. Have you ever sat in front of the TV on a Saturday afternoon and watch one of the Texas Longhorn games? The attendance is unbelievable. If you are looking for sports cards memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx if you watch the TV screen closely at these games you will see every kind of memorabilia you can ever think of for the Texas Longhorns. This is truly a college community and a sports minded community. You’ll be able to find just about any kind of sports card or any other kind of memorabilia that you have ever thought of. There is a wide assortment of sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx for your shopping pleasure.

Don’t forget now that this is a large community and vendors tend to flock to areas where there are plenty of buyers. Don’t be too busy to examine the large quantity of sports cards that are available. You will find baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, golf cards and more. There are a lot of card collectors and you just may be able to do some trading with other collectors while you are in the area. Sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx will give you a wonderful opportunity to enlarge your collection. You will be able to find memorabilia in the form of apparel, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, helmets and masks, trophies, even replicas of Memorial Stadium.

Most of this information comes straight from the Sports Memorabilia pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that you’ll know what they know.

These items are found for a variety of teams including the Houston Rockets and local colleges in the area. But even more so these stores will provide you with an opportunity to find memorabilia for most of the large schools and most of the professional teams. Be prepared to take your time and shop around for the best values and prices. On the local college campuses the assortment of items may be greater for that particular school. These stores are usually open to the public and you will get a chance to see the array of memorabilia that is available. Even in the college bookstores you have many items that you will be able to add to your memorabilia collection.

The good thing about sports cards and memorabilia stores, Houston, Tx is that sometimes the athlete may visit the store while you are there. Just think what it would be like for you to get a closer look of your sports hero. You just never know when the opportunity will come. You are usually simply amazed at the size of the athlete close up. Don’t forget there are other stores in the area with a sports memorabilia inventory. Some of these stores are found in museums and sports complexes such as the Houston Astrodome. What you cannot find in one place you may very well be able to find it in one or more of the specialty shops that are in the area.

The large hotel chains lease retail space in their complexes therefore you may be able to find a sports store with in your live in zone. When you are able to find these kinds of stores and eating facilities what a convenience it is not to have to find your way around in a large Metropolitan area.

Knowing enough about Sports Memorabilia to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you’ve just learned about Sports Memorabilia, you should have nothing to worry about.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest acquisition: Free Google Traffic System and make sure to visit my bonus site!

What Do You Know about Sports Memorabilia?

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about Sports Memorabilia? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about Sports Memorabilia.

Sports memorabilia includes collectibles of all types. Although some immediately think football or baseball when sports collectibles come to mind, there are many more types of sports that have valuable collectibles.

The world of sports is a vast and varied world. Sports all over the globe bring value to the items associated with the sports and famous players. There is the sport of figure skating, horseracing, rugby, soccer, hockey, basketball, wrestling, swimming, track and field, tennis, diving, gymnastics, fencing, cycling, archery, weightlifting, sled dog racing, motorcycle racing, martial arts, lacrosse, boxing, golf, bobsledding, auto racing, and events associated with a rodeo, just to name a few!

For many sports items to be valuable as collectibles, they must be kept in flawless condition. The older and less flawed an item is, the more money it will be worth in the future. Many people will invest in this memorabilia for the sake of their children and grandchildren and guard it as though it were priceless. Not only is it an honor to receive something of such magnitude, it is a matter of personal pride for the person who originally obtained the item.

Sports memorabilia are a wide range, including everything from the traditional trading cards to items owned and often worn by the sports figure that became famous. An often overlooked area of interest is that of books. Many sports figures have written books about their lives, private and public. Many books are valuable just because of the person’s popularity with the public, even if the person was known for being ruthless or rude.

So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Sports Memorabilia. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

A few books that may be of interest include: Skate by Steve Milton, A Year in Figure Skating by Beverly Smith, A Golfer’s Life by Arnold Palmer with James Dodson, Kareem by Kareem Abdul Jabbar with Mignon McCarthy, Baseball Card Price Guide by Dr. James Beckett and Grant Sandground, and Baseball Desk Reference by Lawrence Lorimer.

Figure skating is an area that offers interesting collectibles. The first female skater to achieve fame was the German Professional ‘Charlotte’. A magazine called ‘Women’s Home Companion’ featured a spread on her in 1916.

Product endorsements also provide worthy collectible items. Timex featured Barbara Ann Scott, another female skater and a Canadian. She achieved an Olympic victory in 1948. That prompted a sale of thousands of dolls of her likeness. Another early female skater in demand as a doll was Karen Magnussen.

Of course, the most widespread collectibles in sports memorabilia seems to be cards. It’s fairly low cost to get a child started with a baseball card collection. Although it can become a high cost ordeal as the child becomes an avid die-hard fan and learns to recognize the value of card collecting, a collection is something that may take years to obtain and may never be considered complete. This type of interest will help teach the child responsibility among other things. They must keep the cards from curious friends who haven’t learned the value of collecting and greedy adults who may try to talk the child out of a precious possession.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO and make sure to claim your $1 trial membership!

Appraisals for Sports Memorabilia

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

When you invest in sports memorabilia, you often don’t realize how much the value can climb by the time you choose to sell. Likewise, it could decrease in value as well.

Appraisal is a must for the serious sports collector. People have been sorely disappointed because they didn’t get their items appraised for value and then sold them for a fraction of their worth.

Some places to check for appraisals for sports memorabilia include:

1.) AllAuthentic Sports Memorabilia-professionals who can provide references and offer instant appraisals

2.) Vintage Sports Memorabilia Appraisals-has a sports artifacts library for thousands of vintage sports items, prefers email requests limited to two items, nothing newer than 1980.

3.) Krause Standard Catalog of Sports Memorabilia Price Guide

4.) Robert Connelly-He does clinics on appraisals. He’s a member of the American Society of Appraisers and was honored by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Sports Memorabilia. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

5.) American Legends-Provides paid appraisals, founded in 1992.

6.) Sports Memorabilia Appraisal Expert Witness-Provides an 800 #, volunteers background information to help give reference to its value as an appraisal business.

Besides the importance of appraisals for resale value, you may want to seriously consider having your valuable insured. Insurance companies also may not recognize the value unless you’ve had an appraisal done. Make sure you have documented proof.

There is a Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice which is recognized in courts and acceptable to banks, insurance companies, auction houses, and the IRS.
Don’t just depend on a local sports shop or whatever available appraisal you come across. Also, consider that paying for more than one opinion is worthwhile if a lot of money is involved and if it gives you peace of mind.
Prices will change, so you’ll want an updated value before decided to sell. Retired players hold their value better because their status won’t change.

Make sure you sell to the right person or business. Just because an item is listed as one amount doesn’t mean the dealer will agree to pay that amount.

Sweat stains don’t necessarily make a jersey authentic. Anyone can wear a jersey long enough to sweat in it and try to pass it off as the real thing. Watch for smudged autographs, dog-eared pages in books, worn edges on cards. An appraiser should be trained to notice small details that would decrease the value of your collector’s item.
There is a system with trading cards called grading. A graded card has a more reasonable guarantee of authenticity. Graded cards are sealed to discourage card switching, a low tactic of some sellers. The appraiser should know to recognize graded cards and their value.

When my daughter was involved in card collecting and bought a box of cards that seemed like a great deal to her, she was soon sorely disappointed. The only authentic card was the one in the display on the front of the box. All the rest were fakes, worthless. It was a waste of her hard-earned and long saved allowance. So beware of this type of scam when you buy a group of items. The appraisal value will be zero!

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, owner of this excellent site: Product Profits Club (click to claim your FREE membership)