Appraise Your Sports Memorabilia to Avoid Disappointment

Are you a sports memorabilia collector?  If so, you might be shocked at how much the value has increased by the time you are ready to sell.  On the other hand, the value might go down.

Avoid Disappointment.

We’ve all heard stories about kids who get involved in card collecting.  Assured that the sports cards are worth a lot of money now and in the future, these youngsters buy boxes of cards that are supposed to be a fantastic deal.  Most of these are fakes and worthless … and a waste of a young person’s long saved allowance.  Beware of this type of scam when you buy a group or box of sports collectible items.  The appraisal value will be zero!

For the serious sports collector, an appraisal is essential.  People who are just breaking into the collectibles business are often sadly disappointed when they discover that they have sold their collectibles for less than their value. This could have been avoided with an appraisal.

Where to Have Sports Memorabilia Appraised.

Some reputable sports memorabilia appraisers include:

• AllAuthentic Sports Memorabilia — This organization is staffed with professionals who can provide references and offer instant appraisals.
• Vintage Sports Memorabilia Appraisals — Vintage Sports has a sports artifacts library for thousands of vintage sports items.  The company prefers email requests that are limited to two items, with nothing newer than 1980.
• Krause Standard Catalog of Sports Memorabilia Price Guide.
• Robert Connelly gives clinics on appraisals.  He’s a member of the American Society of Appraisers and was honored by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
• Founded in 1992, American Legends provides paid appraisals.
• Sports Memorabilia Appraisal Expert Witness provides a tollfree phone number and volunteers background information to help give reference to its value as an appraisal business.

Appraisals Will Help Establish Insurance Values.

Not only are appraisals of your sports memorabilia important to determine resale value, but if you have valuable collectibles, you will want to have your valuable insured.  Insurance companies might not recognize the value unless you’ve had an appraisal done.  Make sure you have written and documented proof.

Is the Price Right?  What Are the Standards?

Courts, banks, insurance companies, auctions houses and even the IRS recognize the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.  Don’t just depend on a local sports shop or the first available appraiser you come across if you are thinking about selling your sports memorabilia.

If you have valuable sports collectibles, it might be worth the cost to pay for more than one opinion.  Before selling, realize that prices will change.  If you had an appraisal done several years ago but decided to hang onto your sports memorabilia, you should get the updated value before selling.

Some Tips About Sports Memorabilia and Collectibles.

• Collectibles that have to do with retired players will hold their value better. This is because once retired, the player’s status is not going to change.
• Sweat stains do not automatically mean that a jersey is 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.
• 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 will recognize graded cards and their value.

Want to know more?  Discover some more tips about antiquing and collectibles at the Blurbosphere.