Sports Then and Now

Memorabilia has become a cornerstone of modern sports. It takes but a minute of entering a stadium to be inundated with concession stands and vendors hawking the latest merchandise. Fans collect, display, and sell these in an ever-growing marketplace. But things were not always this way.

Sports collectibles were an afterthought in the past. These throwaway items were given out in a box of cereal or a pack of cigarettes. As people discarded these items that ended up stored in attics with other junk, their scarcity created higher prices. Below are some of the rarest and most sought-after collectibles in sports.

Honus Wagner Baseball Card

Ask any baseball card collector what the industry’s crown jewel is, and they’ll immediately zero in on the infamous T206 Honus Wagner. This card was produced by the American Tobacco Company back in 1909 and had a limited release. A recent sale of this card in 2016 went for over $3 million.

What makes this card so unique is its rarity. While the company produced thousands of cards, very few Honus Wagner ones went into circulation due to a rumored financial dispute. Even fewer are in existence today.

For fans of the card, Topps did reissue it in 2002 and 2020. But don’t expect to fetch the same price.

Buying sports memorabilia is nothing new. In fact, collecting sporting items like signed athlete equipment, trading cards, contracts, and even a famous athlete’s baby photo dates back to the 1800s when baseball was becoming a popular pastime for New York’s elites. 

Today, collectors are even more aggressive when it comes to hunting down era-defining sports collectibles. It’s gotten so big that items like baseball and basketball cards have reached the million-dollar range in terms of value. The money involved in this business has attracted serious collectors and dealers like Thiago de Mattos and others investors who want a piece of this profitable industry. 

For a rookie collector, this may seem too overwhelming. But this article will cover all that you need to know before you buy your first sporting memorabilia. 

1. Know the Value of an Item

If you’re new to collecting sports memorabilia, do your research. The first step to collecting is knowing the value of a particular item. Factors like rarity, condition, age, authenticity, and the current market price all affect a sporting memorabilia’s value. Knowing the value of an item is essential because it helps you determine the price and the potential investment value a sporting item has. 

As a serious collector, you don’t want to be paying more for something that should cost less. As someone looking at sporting memorabilia as an investment, you’d want a collection that will rise in value over time. You can find most of the information you need online, so make sure to check auction records and online forums to see how much a collectible cost and how to spot fakes. 

2. Choose A Theme For Your Collection

Some sporting memorabilia are so valuable that it costs millions of dollars. And even if you’re not buying those expensive collectibles, collecting rare memorabilia can still break the bank if you try to chase everything. 

This is why it’s crucial that you narrow down your option into a specific theme. Sports collectibles can range from trading cards, signed sports equipment, game-worn jerseys, and many more. Decide which ones you’ll include in your collection. 

When choosing a theme for your collection, make sure that it reflects what you love and appreciate about the sport, team, or athlete. Streamlining your collection this way can help make your hunt for these items easier. You’ll avoid getting frustrated and accumulating a ton of things that you may no longer appreciate later on. 

3. Set A Working Budget

Just recently, a 1:1 Luka Doncic rookie NBA card sold for $4.6 million US dollars. Although that type of collectible is on the upper echelon of trading cards, you need to understand that even lower-value items can have a hefty price tag. 

The clear favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award this season, LaMelo Ball is a special player. Upon entering the All-Star break, he ranked first among rookies in total points (553), rebounds (211), assists (221) and steals (57) despite not starting a game for the Hornets until February 1. 

The only rookie in the last sixty years to lead on four fronts, even team owner Michael Jordan has been impressed with his progress, telling AP;

“I think Melo has adjusted to the NBA game better than any of us ever thought this early in his career, he has exceeded our expectations so far this season.”

Here’s a roundup containing the top six LaMelo Ball rookie cards, along with investment advice during his white-hot streak.

Top 6 LaMelo Ball Rookie Cards 

As the third pick in the 2020 draft, there’s an abundance of Ball RCs, especially if you factor in for the hundreds of parallel versions. To make things a bit easier, we’ve selected the top six Melo rookie cards below, with something to suit almost every budget.

2020 LaMelo Ball Hoops RC #223

The 2020-21 Hoops set contains many of the first RCs released this season, and it’s where we’ll begin. 

Melo’s base card is reasonably simple, with an image of the player located in the middle, holding a basketball in his right hand. The image is set against a black background, with an oval shaped border which will change colour depending on the parallel. 

There’s an RC logo located on the top right corner, and his name is found in chrome at the bottom.

2020-21 Hoops Parallels: Blue, Hyper Blue, Neon Green, Purple, Purple Explosion, Purple Winter, Red Backs, Teal Explosion, Winter, Yellow, Premium Box Base (/199), Silver (/199), Green (/99), Hyper Red (/99), Green Explosion (/89), Red (/75), Teal (/70), Blue Explosion (/59), Artist Proof (/25), Hyper Green (/25), Orange (/25), Orange Explosion (/25), Red Explosion (/15), Artist Proof Gold (/10), Hyper Gold (/10), Tribute Autograph (/10), Artist Proof Black (1/1) 

2020 LaMelo Ball Donruss Rated Rookie RC #202

Another popular Melo RC that is still reasonably affordable, the Rated Rookie subset contains the next card to make the list. It focuses on the player, with a simple image of the star holding a ball in both hands.  

Don’t let the lack of an autograph put you off, graded copies of the rarer parallels are definitely worth holding onto. 

In this time when we are all spending time at home, I have spent some of my time looking at some of my old sports cards and memorabilia. As part of a new series about sports cards, I am starting by sharing 10 of my favorite football cards. Not necessarily my favorite players, but 10 cards that I think are cool, different or just unusual.

With a few exceptions, Topps Football Cards for their first couple decades were largely static pictures of players either as staged pictures or later pictures of players standing or sitting on the sidelines.

In 1972 the Sunoco Football Stamps came out with most of the pictures being awesome game action photos that were far better than anything Topps had ever produced on a football card. Beginning in 1972 with their own special action cards and then the next year in the regular series, Topps started trying to have more game action photos, though the results were a bit mixed.

Though cards produced in the last 30 years have gotten significantly better in terms of action pictures, my heart belongs to the Topps Football Cards from the 1950s through the 1970s, so all of my picks for this article are from that time period.

1973 MaCarthur Lane – Green Bay Packers

The 1973 Topps football card set was one of the first where Topps successfully incorporated action photos into the regular set as player cards. They were slightly hindered by the fact they could not show the team logos, so there are some cards with some interested color patches to block out the logos, but some of the action shots are pretty good.

My favorite of the action shots is the card of Green Bay Packers running back Macarthur Lane because it looks like he is holding a flat football. Though likely an illusion created by his hand, I remember seeing this card as a kid and thinking he was so strong that he flattened the football.

Lane spent 11 seasons in the NFL, playing for the Cardinals, Packers and Chiefs. His most productive season was with St. Louis in 1970 when he rushed for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns. Traded to the Packers before the 1972 season, he teamed with John Brockington to help the Packers reach the playoffs for the first time since 1967. In 1976, Lane led the AFC with 66 receptions while playing for the Chiefs.

He finished his career with 4,656 career rushing yards and 2,786 yards receiving. Lane passed away in 2019.

1958 – Lamar McHan – Chicago Cardinals

Though he spent 10 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL, there is a pretty good chance that you have never heard of Lamar McHan. However, from the first time I ever saw his 1958 Topps card, it has been among my favorites.

In 1958 Topps seemed to try and have some type of action within many of their cards, though they were clearly all staged as part of photo shoots. There is the iconic photo of Jim Brown running with the ball, but without his helmet.

What is the easiest and most iconic way to identify with a sport, team, and favorite player? A definite answer is jerseys. Jerseys are timeless clothing that not only allows you to show your allegiance but a fashion statement as well. Jerseys easily identify teams and fans, and if you want to join and kick the thrills a notch higher, you need to invest in quality jerseys. While shopping for jerseys, however, you can easily be overwhelmed as you browse through the extensive pool. From cheaper options, custom options, to current or throwback jerseys, your quest can feel like a daunting task. The good news, however, is that you can now find jerseys, including 49ers throwback jersey to celebrate your all-time favorite online.