7 Things To Consider Before Buying Sporting Memorabilia Comments Off on 7 Things To Consider Before Buying Sporting Memorabilia
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.
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Topps has tried many crazy products, often called “test issues”.
Test issues were usually only distributed in limited areas and were difficult to find. Candy Lids were one of Topps most unusual; little tubs of candy with player’s photos on bottom of the 1 7/8″ lids. The 10 cent candy’s came 24 to a box. Sealed tubs can still be found in the $150 to $200 range. Called “Baseball Stars Bubble Gum”, the 1970 Topps Candy Lids set had 24 different players, while 1973 Topps Candy Lids had 55. 
Topps released their first Candy Lids in 1970. The 1970 Topps Candy Lids are very, very hard to find and had small photos of Tom Seaver,
Carl Yastrzemski and Frank Howard. 
Topps released two other test issue sets in 1973 (1973 Topps Pinups and 1973 Topps Comics). The 1973 Topps Comics and 1973 Topps Candy Lids shared many photos and again had no team logos. If thinking “licensing dispute”, you are likely right. Topps received player’s union’s permission for these test issues, but not Major League Baseball’s. Issues over rights & fees with MLBPA and the player’s union resulted in Topps started shutting down future production of test issues putting an end to some of their most fun collectibles. 