A Guide to Collectible Sports Memorabilia
February 11, 2010 by Dan Anderson
Filed under Collectibles
People enjoy collectible sports memorabilia for many different reasons; it may be just a hobby or it may be a way to make extra money. The type of items collected varies as well, as some enjoy getting items from a whole team or event and others want to collect autographed collectibles strictly from their favorite player.
The sports memorabilia industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry. With this boost in both profitability and popularity, an increasing number of forgeries are also being sold. Forged sports cards and autographed photos have certainly appeared to flood the market and the trend does not show any signs of slowing down. The increase in the number of individuals who buy sports memorabilia on the internet has also increased the number of fakes being sold. Anyone has the capability of establishing an account on auction sites where they can anonymously advertise to unsuspecting consumers, especially those who collect only as a hobby.
There is no way to know the exact number of forgeries that have been sold, but most experts agree that well over half of the collectible sports memorabilia available on the market are indeed knock-offs. Some believe that up to 90% of the items that are said to be authentic memorabilia are actually forgeries. If you look at it this way, assuming that the market is worth approximately one billion dollars a year, then anywhere from five to nine hundred million of that is monetary gain from fake items.
One thing that can be done to try to lower the quantity of fake sales is to increase public knowledge, thus making it more difficult for the fraudulent sales to increase. Of course there's lots of trustworthy and bona fide businesses that market authentic sports memorabilia, but the industry continues to be swamped with some very high quality fakes that make it challenging for legitimate companies to compete. And thus this counterfeit activity continues to cheat many unsuspecting folks each year.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell whether or not a piece of collectible sports memorabilia is authentic. The only way to be 100%, absolutely sure is if you witness the signing yourself. But there are things that you can do to ensure that what you buy is indeed authentic. If the autographed sports collectibles you want to buy come with certificates of authenticity, this however doesn't really guarantee much, as the certificates are also easy to duplicate. When looking at a certificate, be sure to check that there is a name, phone number and address for the person or company responsible for authenticating the item. The term "let the buyer beware" unfortunately applies to this niche market too.
Sporting collectibles can instantly take you back to your childhood, a special game or simply a favorite player. The best part is with so many websites selling collectible sporting memorabilia, you should have no problem finding great deals.
Tags: collectible sports memorabilia, Collectibles, sports collectibles, sports memorabilia