Every few weeks, another sports collectible breaks an auction record. Michael Jordan jerseys command seven-figure results, Shohei Ohtani memorabilia accelerates past traditional market ceilings, and Lionel Messi’s World Cup kits transition into museum-grade assets. These headlines suggest that sports collectibles have evolved into a highly institutionalized alternative asset class. Yet, the core driver of this … Read more
Every collector likes to believe that buying sports memorabilia is different from speculation. We tell ourselves that we are buying history, emotion, game-used objects and pieces of sporting greatness. That is certainly part of the story. But over the last few years another narrative has become much louder. Jerseys are called assets. Trading cards are … Read more
Some memorabilia should not be treated like normal collectibles. That sounds strange coming from someone who writes about buying, selling, framing, authenticating and displaying sports memorabilia. I like private collections. I understand why someone wants a signed jersey, a game-used bat, an old Olympic item, a medal, a torch, a program, a ticket, or a … Read more