Sports Memorabilia Collecting

Modern-day sports memorabilia is a multi-billion dollar business that spans nearly every sport. The hobby of collecting memorabilia includes everything from cheap trading cards swapped among friends to autographed items sold at high-stakes auctions. Early collecting, however, began as a modest pursuit in the late nineteenth century, with national and international illustrated weeklies publishing spot illustrations or even single-page and double-page spreads depicting sporting events and popular athletes. As printing techniques improved in the United States, telegraph reports were replaced by more sophisticated newspapers such as the New York Sun and the Philadelphia Public Ledger. Accessible to most, these publications encouraged fans of all ages and economic strata to purchase, keep, or trade renderings of their pop-culture icons.

In the late nineteenth century, train travel allowed athletes and sports enthusiasts to gather; additionally, developments in sports equipment made contests more exciting. These factors catapulted sports and collectible memorabilia into the international spotlight. Individual countries continued to support their favorite pastimes. In England, for example, golf, rugby, soccer, and rowing captured the nation's interest, while in the United States, baseball was the spectator sport of choice.

Keen to cash in on the nation's growing addiction to baseball, tobacco companies incorporated trading cards into their regular shipments starting in the second half of the nineteenth century. While the Goodwin Company produced the first numbered collection, it was the American Tobacco Company that, in 1909, created and circulated the storied T206 baseball card series that included the coveted Johannes "Honus" Wagner card.

The son of German-immigrant parents, Wagner, also known as the "Flying Dutchman," grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began his baseball career in 1897 with the Louisville Colonels. After two seasons he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played short stop for his remaining eighteen seasons. He subsequently served as the team's manager. Regarded as baseball's best all-around player and ranked second only to the record-breaking pitcher Cy Young, Wagner became one of the inaugural inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Never a smoker himself, however, and fearful his image on cards might influence children to take up smoking, Wagner insisted that American Tobacco remove his card from circulation, limiting the total number of cards manufactured. As a result of the card's rarity, its provenance (history of ownership), and its condition, a Wagner baseball card is valuable. In a September 2007 auction a Honus Wagner card sold for $2.8 million, and a new world record for a card was set in 2016 when an example sold for $3.12 million.

Tobacco companies continued packaging cards through the 1920s; bubblegum manufacturers followed suit in the 1930s. However, cards were not the only mass-produced collectible, and neither was baseball. As football, basketball, and hockey gained popularity among US sports fans, so too did everything that went along with them. Uniforms, equipment, championship banners, and stadium seats are as much a part of sports Americana as illustrated weeklies and baseball cards.

Memorabilia collecting also ranks high among college-sports fans and enthusiasts of the Olympic Games. Tracing its roots to the Ivy Leagues, college football paraphernalia in particular garners steep auction prices. Sought-after collectibles related to the Olympics include pins and, not surprisingly, medals. Auction bids for medals have reached into the tens of thousands of dollars.

While collectors can purchase memorabilia without having to pay exorbitant prices, money indeed makes the sports memorabilia world go around. The act of obtaining a professional athlete's autograph can even be an expensive endeavor, as some professional franchises and players, whose names or logos are legally protected, require that collectors pay a marketing fee for items that may eventually go to auction.

Things to Look For

Authenticity, condition, rarity, provenance, and popularity are five categories serious collectors should consider when seeking memorabilia; the condition of the item will affect the value differently depending on the item. An autographed game jersey showing some wear is desirable, for example; a ripped, autographed trading card is, in most circumstances, undesirable. Individual cards ultimately belong to a set, that set, as a tradable entity, becomes compromised when a card is tampered with in any way. Authenticity, rarity, provenance, and popularity will play a role in determining a card's value, but as a general rule of thumb, a well-printed trading card should look as good as it did the day it was manufactured.

As collectors research particular memorabilia, they will become familiar with questions to ask and resources to utilize when attempting to determine an item's overall value. A sampling of basic questions might include: Is the autographed jersey manufactured? Is the autograph from that Hall of Fame player authentic? Is the autograph in a desirable location? Did the player's signature change over time? Was that player actually a member of that particular team during that particular season? Does the bobblehead doll come with its original packaging? Is the packaging in good condition? Will the commemorative patch on that player's autographed uniform add to the uniform's value?

Trends

In the collecting of sports memorabilia, trends come and go depending on a variety of factors, including significant anniversaries, fan whimsy, or player popularity. The periodic reemergence of the bobblehead doll, first issued in the 1960s, would be an apt case-in-point, as would the recirculation of baseball ticket stubs from the Negro League or the All American Girls League during milestone anniversaries. Purchasing paraphernalia related to a famous (or infamous) player currently in the news might be considered trendy, as might collecting boxes of Wheaties cereal that depict an athlete over the course of his or her career.

Bear in mind that there also exist trends in the manufacturing of memorabilia items. Matchbook covers were popular during World War II, for instance, as were sports-related posters created by Coca-Cola. If these items came up at auction around an important anniversary related to the war, their value would most likely increase due to their timing on the market. Of course, certain memorabilia is consistently sought after; autographs of the biggest stars or the rarest trading cards are always in demand.

The vast popularity of sports memorabilia has tended to drive prices higher and higher, despite occasional fluctuations due to broader economic trends and shifts in collecting tastes. The potentially lucrative nature of certain items, along with the ease of online transactions, has also caused a marked increased in sports memorabilia fraud. Although fraud has always existed, by the 2010s many experts and law enforcement agencies suggested that a high percentage of autographs on the market were forgeries, for example. Experienced collectors often suggest sticking to merchandise that has been professionally authenticated or appraised.

Sports Memorabilia Collecting for Fun vs. Profit

Most sports enthusiasts collect as a lifetime pursuit that originates out of his love for the game, not in order to make a fortune at auction. However, depending on the memorabilia, collecting can indeed be financially lucrative, if eventually sold at auction or in a private sale. For example, noted collector Barry Halper amassed arguably the most expansive and valuable collection of baseball memorabilia in history before selling it for tens of millions of dollars (much went to the Baseball Hall of Fame while other items were auctioned by Sotheby's). As with other commodities, profit may also be realized if an item is purchased while at low value (such as before a player has become a star) and sold after demand has increased (such as when a player reaches a milestone).

Collecting for profit is inherently risky, and the fact that sports memorabilia typically has little inherent value and is largely emotionally driven makes it even more difficult to predict appreciation. Estimated values and auction prices can be affected by many factors, including disposable income or other economic issues, trends in the sporting world such as a player's performance and popularity, and simple supply and demand. Ultimately, collectors are advised to concentrate on the kind of collecting they are most passionate about.

Learning More

Periodicals

Sports Collector's Digest

Antiques and Collecting Magazine

Beckett Sports Card Monthly

Tuff Stuff

Books and Guides

Douglas, John A. Sports Memorabilia: A Guide to America's Fastest Growing Hobby. Wallace-Homestead Book Co., 1976.

Fleisher, Noah. Warman's Antiques & Collectibles 2019. Krause Publications, 2018.

Kovel, Terry, and Kim Kovel. Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide 2019. Hatchette Books, 2018.

Lehman, Bert, ed. Standard Catalog of Sports Memorabilia. Krause Publications, 2004.

Williams, Pete. Sports Memorabilia for Dummies. IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 1998.

Conventions

National Sports Collectors Convention: http://nsccshow.com/