Sports Memorabilia Appraisal and Authentication

You have found the perfect sports memorabilia item for your collection, and are concerned what it is really worth?

Or perhaps you have an item you are considering selling, and want to be sure you receive a fair price for it.

What to do?

A sports memorabilia appraisal might be your next step to determine the value of sports memorabilia.

"Where do I get appraisals for sports memorabilia from?"

Appraisals for sports memorabilia, like any other appraisal, consists of an expert sports memorabilia authenticator examining the piece and grading certain characteristics for valuation.

What are those characteristics to authenticate and appraise an item, and how do I get a sports memorabilia appraisal, you ask?

Probably the most important characteristic relative to sports memorabilia appraisals are the autograph authentication characteristics of the autograph and the item.

If the piece is not from a recent manufacturer of sports memorabilia such as Steiner Sports or other leading manufacturers, you likely will need to have the autograph authenticated by a 3rd party.
I recommend PSA/DNA and James Spence when it comes to autographed sports memorabilia authentication services.

What Sports Memorabilia Appraisers & Authenticators Look For

Condition: The condition of the item is next in importance. A signed Babe Ruth baseball is a highly sought after piece, but if the ball itself is in bad condition, that will affect the autograph value. Sports memorabilia that is game used is worth dramatically more despite the condition because of the scarcity.

Relevance: A signed Babe Ruth baseball will likely be worth more than a signed Babe Ruth bowling ball! Not to say the bowling ball wouldn't be a unique item, but since The Babe played baseball, items from his respective sport are more valuable.

Style: What this means is, for example, is the jersey an authentic game-issued or replica? Same goes for a helmet, ball, etc. There are two schools of though here - basically a game-issued item will be more valuable than a replica.



That being said, when buying an item, a baseball jersey for example, you can save money if this is not of critical importance to you. A replica football helmet is almost identical to an authentic one, at less than half the price unsigned.

Return from Sports Memorabilia Appraisal to Sports Memorabilia

Return from Sports Memorabilia Appraisal to Collecting Autographs

Visit the Site Build It! home page.