In my experience people collect sports memorabilia because they love the sport they focus on.
But any buyer can also consider the potential of their collection to provide some sort of a return.
Here's a quick, beginner's guide to assessing potential buys for long-term value.
Pele is one of the all-time greats. His name will never fade. Click the image to own this picture.
Collecting your passions
The best advice for any collector is to follow your passion.
Most of us do.
It's also the case that a collection built on passion will be built on knowledge and care. And that is most likely to provide long-term value.
Buying for returns
There is a collector's dream.
And you see it play out in almost every piece of popular media around the hobby.
Pawn Stars, Antiques Roadshow, all of them.
The collector's dream is that they will discover a hugely valuable item that hasn't been recognised for what it is and can therefore be bought very cheaply.
It is a nice dream. And it is absolutely something that could happen.
But, it is extremely unlikely. And it is certainly not an investment strategy.
Collectibles as investments
No good adviser will tell anyone to build their whole saving or investment portfolio around collectibles.
However, we do know that collectibles have been a popular diversification tool for the very richest for a very long time.
Art. Watches. Jewellery. Rare coins. All of them are very respectable investment vehicles.
There is absolutely no reason why sports collectibles shouldn't be treated in the same way.
Cautions for sports collectibles investors
Markets in collectibles can be volatile.
This is particularly the case where sales are made primarily by auction, which are themselves notoriously sentiment-affected platforms.
Timing a sale well might be vital to getting a good price.
The same is true across many openly traded items, of course, and the informed buyer and seller will always be at an advantage.
Good practice for sports collectibles investors
This Tiger Woods-signed cap looks in great shape, and a golf hat is the perfect item to get the most famous golfer of this era tied to. Click the image to find out more.
Condition is a large part of how valuable your sports collectibles will be at sale.
Make sure you know how to store them safely and in a way that preserves them. Never carry out or commission conservation work or repairs without knowing how it may affect value.
Authenticity is everything.
As I write this, a major scandal - there's even a gunshot death involved - is unravelling in the sports collectibles world. Its extent is yet to be determined, but it involves a claim of large-scale fraud.
Any collectible in any field is worthless if you cannot prove it is what you claim it is.
Buyer beware is a good maxim. Make sure you are armed with the knowledge necessary to authenticate and test authenticity. And, do your bit by preserving documentation and evidence around your collectibles (almost) as carefully as you preserve the collectibles themselves.
What sports collectibles hold their values best?
Having established that sports collectibles are not a very stable market then we're asking an unanswerable question.
However, you can follow some good general rules.
The aim for the investor is to try to match the conditions that produce value in collectibles.
Some things you just can't predict.
But you can control others. And you should.
Authentic items only
Certificates of authenticity from trusted sellers or third-party authentication services are needed.
Any additional evidence proving an items claims to unique status should be kept.
What a wonderful picture of perhaps the ultimate sporting hero. Click through to see how it's authenticated.
High-quality items only
The best quality items make the most money.
Fairly clear and obvious.
That means great condition.
And it means good quality in the broader sense - good, clear signatures in autographs, clean, well-presented shirts, and so on.
The top of the game, and the top of the right game
Big names have longevity.
I grew up in England. Baseball was of no interest to me as a teenager. But I'd heard of Babe Ruth.
And Ruth's fame is the sort of fame that will last beyond his lifetime and command the sort of attention that drives big prices.
We're talking legends.
Big names in big moments are the best
Get a big name doing something great and you're onto a winner.
"Football is a game of moments," is a nice commentary cliche. And it's true across sports in collecting.
The most valuable item of sports memorabilia ever is a New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth when he hit the "Called Shot".
It's pretty much the most famous thing he ever did. And that's why the 1932 shirt sold for $24.1 million last year.
We have a nice illustration of this at the moment.
Babe Ruth has the sort of fame that means he's known far outside specialist baseball circles. That's the best measure of real demand. Click the image to own it.
The Hand of God goal in the England v Argentina World Cup quarter final is one of the most famous and notorious moments in international football.
The shirt worn by the scorer, Diego Maradona, sold in 2022 for over £7.1 million.
And the shirt worn by the goalkeeper he - illegally - beat to the ball, Peter Shilton, is due to sell next summer, with an estimate of £300,000.
The moment puts both of these shirts into the very highest eschelons of collecting.
Peter Shilton was a great player. Undoubtedly the best in England at the time, a long-time international, and certainly world class.
But Maradona is a legend.
At the top of the game, but what game?
You need a market for value. And the bigger the better.
That means the big, global sports - and global includes US dominated games.
Baseball, football (soccer), gridiron football, basketball.
There are also great collecting markets around golf, F1, tennis.
But as sports become more niche, so the values go down. Rugby, cricket, skiing, equestrianism... great sports, but rarely at the top end of auction valuations for memorabilia.
The future is another country too
Buying sports memorabilia for lasting value means doing the impossible.
Predicting the future.
Some things will remain relatively predictable.
If you get a chance to buy a tennis ball used in a Wimbledon final, tossed into the crowd, then signed by the winning player... that's a sure-fire winner.
But real enthusiasts might find extra value in knowing who that winner is going to be a few years before they break into the big time.
Spotting the next generation's Lionel Messi or Tiger Woods or Lewis Hamilton would be a great superpower for collector's to have.
It's one way to add value to your collection and perhaps the only place where a touch of gambling is appropriate for collectors.
Buying sports collectibles today
We have a great selection of sports memorabilia.
The hobby is getting ever more high-profile.
And now is a great time to get involved.
