Sports fans spend billions of dollars every year to support their teams. Some of the money goes toward game tickets, but much of it goes toward memorabilia. A portion of the memorabilia revenue comes from fans attempting to outfit themselves in their favorite team's jersey. There are other types of memorabilia that are quite popular. These include sports cards that depict the more popular players on a given team, game-worn jerseys, game programs and game balls autographed by all-star players. The more popular the player or the team, the more fans are willing to pay for memorabilia. Additionally, the less a particular all-star or hall-of-fame player signs, the more his or her signature will be worth because of the relative scarcity.
Football Memorabilia
Some football memorabilia will be similar to memorabilia from other sports. There are football cards that are not much different than baseball or basketball cards. The value is based upon the impact of the player and the scarcity of the card. Generally speaking, older cards are rarer, and they will tend to cost more to acquire. Signed footballs or jerseys are a popular type of football memorabilia as well. If these balls or jerseys saw action in an actual game, a certification to verify their use can definitely add to the price these items will fetch on the market.
Not only are these more traditional forms of football memorabilia popular, there are also other options for those who really want to show their support of their favorite players or teams. Football teams tend to tear down old stadiums to build newer and more modern arenas. There is a market for old stadium seats. A die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan could actually find a seat from the old Three Rivers Stadium to put in their media room. There is also a market for old game tickets. A fan might want a ticket from a Super Bowl his team won. It's likely they could find it for the right price.
Popular Sports Collectibles
One of the easiest sports collectibles to get are trading cards that depict players who participated in a given professional league. There are some cards that are quite rare. The biggest gem of all cards is the T-206 Honus Wagner baseball card that came in a cigarette package in the 1910s. It's so rare that it's actually drawn more than $1 million in auctions. It's possible to snag old tobacco cards on popular websites like eBay. As noted above, game tickets can be popular sports collectibles. A ticket from the game Barry Bonds broke the single-season home run record might be marketable. Championship tickets from college and professional sports also have value to fans of the participating teams. Old programs are also popular collectibles, as are seats that once set in famous stadiums like the original Yankee Stadium. These are in addition to the popular signed game balls and jerseys.
Buying Memorabilia Online
It used to be necessary to visit sports memorabilia shops in person. That's no longer necessary with the rise of E-commerce. Many of the older memorabilia shops have online stores where fans can shop around for memorabilia related to their favorite players or teams. The prices on these retail sites are generally fixed. Some of the memorabilia that's available online includes:
- Player cards
- Game programs
- Game t-shirts
- Stadium seats
- Autographed pictures
The most popular of the online options for buying sports collectibles is eBay. This site has been up for more than two decades, and sports fans can purchase memorabilia in a couple of different ways. Both require a simple search. The first option is the open auction. eBay auctions have a closing date and allow for multiple bids. Whoever has the highest bid when the auction closes will win the item. Another option is the "Buy It Now" option. The owner of the item will set a price, and any fan who is willing to pay the price can make a purchase with a few clicks and keystrokes. There is no need to fool around with watching a closing time on an auction to make the purchase. eBay is a huge marketplace, and if an item of memorabilia exists, it's likely to be available on the site.
