Has March Madness inspired you to add to your basketball collection?

Following a true month of March Madness, the college basketball season culminates with the Final Four in Texas this weekend.

As Butler, VCU, Kentucky and UConn hope to make history, we take a look at the basketball collectibles market, an area that is a strong sector among investors in sports memorabilia.

As with much in the game of basketball, Michael Jordan has led the way when it comes to collectibles. Game worn items by the former University of North Carolina star are highly collectible and his signed USA 1992 Olympics jersey is a perfect example, having sold at Robert Edward Auctions for $38,187. It is particularly notable for the fact that it bears the number nine, as opposed to Jordan's usual 23.


Harry the Husky is surplus to requirements this weekend

Jordan trading cards can command huge sums but the most expensive basketball card sold at auction is a 1948 Bowman Gum George Mikan. The PSA10 specimen sold for $218,500 in 2009.

For those with an eye on the unusual, Jordan's signed 1981 high school yearbook has sold for $2,875 at auction in the past.

And then there's the man who started it all, James Naismith, whose set of 13 rules, typed in 1891, were bought for $4.3m in December 2010.

Canadian Naismith had been given two weeks to devise a new winter sport for the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. The lucky fans with tickets for the NCAA championship game in Houston on Monday night have much to be thankful to him for.

 

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