Why Collect Game Worn/Used Memorabilia?

The hobby of collecting game used sports memorabilia actually puts you on the field of sporting events. Sure an autograph was held by an athlete for a very short time but game used items were used by the athlete for one or many games. Game worn items are also an amazing conversation piece. There is so much uniqueness to each and every one. The wear and tear from the game, the stats from the game, and personal memories from the game.

Where Do I Find Items To Add To My Collection?

There are many ways to acquire items for your game worn collection. If you live in a city that has minor league sports or college teams you can often pick up items for free. At minor league sporting events it is much easier to get close to the players. Then you can simply ask. A baseball player has no use for a bat that he cracked during one of his plate appearances. There are many other collectibles that they might be willing to give you from game used balls, batting gloves, or wristbands. If you are from a bigger city with professional sports teams it is not as easy to get access to ask. I remember watching Barry Bonds go for the home run records. At every home game there would be people in kayaks in the bay next to the stadium with nets to retrieve the home run balls hit into the water. I have purchased several home run balls myself from guys that stand outside the stadium waiting for balls to fly out.

Auction houses have large customer bases. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Having the large customer base allows them to get more consignments of quality items. Having more potential bidders for an item will also inflate the sale prices a little as well. The more people that see an item the more likely someone is to put in that next bid. Most auction houses only have a few auctions a year so the wait for the auction to complete, buyers payment, and collecting your payment can sometimes be a while. Auction houses will do a authenticity check on items prior to the auction. They all have different policies regarding the removal of items with questionable authenticity. The more reputable houses will pull items when a valid argument is made questioning the authenticity. Other companies will simply say that their authenticator said the piece is good, so they are running the auction. No matter where  you are bidding you should always do your own research as well to make sure that the item you are bidding on is authentic. Ebay is another auction option that you have. You can often find items cheaper on ebay simply because less people see it. In major catalog auctions they have thousands of collectors viewing their items. On Ebay an item will get significantly less views. There are also many potential problems that can come up on Ebay. People listing items that are not authentic knowingly or unknowingly, shill bidding, and shipping scams to name a few. Professional sports leagues and teams will auction or sell game worn items as well. One advantage of buying memorabilia through the team is that you know it is authentic. The price on the items tend to be on the higher side with percentages of the sale going to charity.

Memorabilia dealers can have a large variety of items similar to an auction house. If they do not have what you are looking for they will often times track it down for you. The prices from dealers will probably be more than what the item would go for in an auction. Buying from a dealer you don’t have to compete against anyone to have the right to buy it.

What Are The Best Ways To Go About Selling Items?

Depending on what is most important for you should dictate the best way for you to sell an item that no longer fits into your collection. If you need to move an item fast then your best bets would be to sell to a dealer or fellow collector. A dealer will be more likely to buy a wide variety of items. Finding a collector to buy your item sometimes takes a bit of work. If maximizing your sale price is important then there are a lot of things to consider. Premium items that are in demand can sometimes drive up large auction house sale prices. Because of the fee’s involved with selling through an auction house the best way to sell more common items might be through fellow collectors or dealers.