Signed Sports Memorabilia

Bonds' 715th ball brings in 220K at auction

2006-08-03T16:55:00.000-04:00

The lucky slob that caught Bonds' 715th home run ball sold it on eBay and got himself a cool $220K. This is the guy who's girlfriend makes him get out of his seat to get a cold one and ends up with a gold mine. All that nagging paid off! Experts assumed that the ball would bring in about $100K (missed) and probably closer to $500K without the steroid scandal looming over head.

The Do's and Don'ts of collecting Sports Memorabilia

2006-02-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

Do Deal with a reputable Sports Memorabilia Dealer which has a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee.

Don't Be afraid to ask the Dealer questions about their personal background in the industry, business practices and manufacturer relationships.

Do Your homework, Get your facts straight, know exactly what you're looking for and research extensively! Ask a lot of questions!

Don't Feel pressured into something that you really don't want, because you're being told it's a "once in a lifetime deal" or it's the "last one".

Do Be patient! Making an impulse buy will more often than not come back to bite you, especially in this industry.

Don't Buy any memorabilia that can't or won't be certified by a reputable dealer, manufacturer or authentication service.

Do Patronize a dealer that has gone that extra mile to insure your satisfaction with quality products time and time again.

Don't Be fooled into thinking that a photo of a sports celebrity signing a piece is a legitimate Certificate of Authenticity.

Do Ask for the history of the piece of memorabilia that you are buying. Any reputable dealer will have no problem telling you its history.

Don't Be afraid to ask for an independent and impartial opinion of the piece by a recognized authority in the industry.

Do Make comparisons among multiple dealers for the same item, if the prices vary too extremely ask yourself why?

Don't Worry about missing out...chances are that the piece you desire is not a one-of-a-kind and can be had in multiples. If by chance you are shopping for that one-of-a-kind, still be patient, there aren't many of you out there. It will still be there.

Do Attend legitimate trade shows and signings to see for yourself what a reputable Dealer and/or Manufacturer goes through to insure authenticity.

Don't Buy another piece of sports memorabilia until you have had the opportunity to really be able to understand what is authentic and what a fake is. Of course there are no 100% guarantees, but with a little research and self educating you can really make the difference in an industry that the FBI claims that 50% of all autographed sports memorabilia is fake!

~A lot of this information sounds like good old common sense, you'd be surprised how many people don't use it though~

How do I know if my Memorabilia is Authentic?

2006-02-10T13:32:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how many times we're asked this question. Whether it's from a consumer that has just bought a piece of memorabilia or someone that was given a gift from Grandma Helen and was told that "Grandpa John got this ball directly from Babe Ruth himself."

First, let's look at a retail purchase:

Is that retailer reputable? How do you know? Well, what's their return policy? Do they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee? Is it clear where they obtained the product and do they offer a qualified Certificate of Authenticity? Is the COA from a major Sports Memorabilia distributor or is it something they are self certifying? All too often do I see a person that is duped into believing that an autograph was obtained "directly from the athlete" and they are certifying it by showing you a picture of the item being signed and their kid is standing next to the star athlete waving? All I can say to this; have you ever heard of Photoshop? Very few (if any) sports celebrities are willing to sit down sign a ball, take a picture and stroll off to the "Big Game". Does it happen? Sure! But is this the type of person you want to buy expensive memorabilia from? Most of the biggest sports stars sign big contracts with the memorabilia distributors to market their items and signatures to prevent fraud. Why would they encourage it?

OK, so let's talk about the ball that Grandpa got...

This one is a little touchier; you certainly don't want to accuse Grandma of being a liar, do you ? We were all young and in love once and wanted to impress our sweethearts, right! Who's to say that Grandpa didn't embellish a story to make himself sound important? It's not that I haven't seen this happen before; it's just that I hear it too often to be true. Given the amount of times that I hear these and similar stories, The Babe would have had to sign about a million baseballs (doubt it) in his lifetime to even start to make this believable. So, how do you find out? Well this one is actually pretty easy, my suggestion would be to get the item professionally evaluated. I like PSA/DNA for authentication and grading of memorabilia, but there are many to choose from. Yep, there's a cost involved, but it's the only way to truly find out. Unless of course you know someone that is willing to give you $50,000 sight unseen, then I would go for it!

My final point to this whole matter...use common sense!

You're not going to find a Derek Jeter baseball authenticated by Some Memorabilia Company for $99 with a COA. First of all, Derek has a huge contract with Steiner Sports Memorabilia and only does signings for them or signings that they sanction. Second, and you'll have to trust me on this one, he gets far more than $99 for his signature. If you find something you want to buy, especially if it's from a modern day player, don't feel obligated purchase immediately, or they'll be gone! No they won't, as long as that player is breathing they can sign and items will be available. Speak to the retailer, ask questions, be inquisitive, any memorabilia retailer that truly loves his craft will be more than happy to take the time to answer any and all of your questions. If it's only about the transaction, then there is something not right.

Words to live by...Go with your gut, if it seems too good to be true...it probably is and I would pass it up!

Good Luck and Happy Collecting!

Phil Rizzuto to sell his collection of Sports Memorabilia

2006-02-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

Holy Cow! You Huckleberry! The Scooter is selling off 53 years of memorabilia that he's collected. Rizzuto, now 88 and the oldest living member of Baseball's Hall of Fame, has decided to relocate from his Hillside, NJ home to a "much smaller house" and can no longer accomodate the vast collection. Among the items are several World Series rings, a Christmas card from Mickey Mantle and a 56-year-old Yankees cap that is worn, dusty and has a piece of gum still stuck to the top. Rizzuto won't be selling his entire collection though, amongst some of the items that are still very near and dear to him is his 1950 AL MVP award. After his playing days where over, the Scooter spent the next 40 years with the New York Yankees as an announcer and broadcaster. His trade mark "Holy Cow" and "What a huckleberry" still brings a chuckle to this long time baseball fan. Rizzuto is selling the goods through Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show and is scheduled to take place sometime this summer.