To a sports fanatic, a piece of sports memorabilia may qualifyas an MVP: most valuable possession. Whether the item holdsmonetary or sentimental value, people who care deeply about sportsand their teams spend big dollars to obtain a coveted piece ofmemorabilia. Collectibles run the gamut from rare trading cards, tosigned photographs, to pieces of a uniform or an entire NASCAR racecar.

Since collectable pieces can vary so widely in quality andprice, a set of guiding factors is used to determine relative worthin individual situations. Depending on what kind of sportsmemorabilia is being authenticated, the “key value factors” used toascertain quality can also vary. If a piece is signed, thereneeds to be a way to establish provenance. If the piece is aphoto, size matters, as does the quality of the paper. Is anitem framed? Mounted? In a Plexiglas case? These are allimportant factors to determine how much an item is worth. Ifthe piece is a trading card, the brand needs to be established. Thebest way is via a reputable card-grading service. If anycollectible piece has already been authenticated by a professionalcompany, that authentication becomes a key value factor aswell.

Buyer Beware

The demand for sports memorabilia has spawned a lucrative marketfor fakes. If potential buyers do not do their research beforemaking a purchase, there's a very real chance that they could beacquiring an item that is not worth the money. A fakecollectible could be anything from a photograph of Babe Ruth with aforged signature in the corner, to an unsigned football jerseythat's simply not made with the same materials as the ones the proswear.

Another issue that may arise when assessing sportsmemorabilia, particularly playing cards, is the prospect ofreprints.

In one case, an insured listed a loss of a gifted set ofbaseball cards on a claim sent to Enservio. The insured mailedin a spreadsheet with the card publication year, manufacturer,player name, team, and card worth. In the case of a MickeyMantle Bowman card, the claimant listed the worth as “N/A” andasked Enservio to assess the amount. The card was cataloged asmanufactured in 1959 but after the company examined the badlydamaged card, the card was deemed a reprint because of a red striperunning horizontally across the back. Enservio recognizedthis red stripe as an indication of a Bowman reprint and determinedthat instead of the card being worth $1,000 to $2,000 as originallythought, it was actually valued at $1.

The best way to avoid purchasing a knockoff sports item isto be prepared for the possibility of being presented with one.

Do Your Homework

When looking to buy a signed piece by a certain athlete, Googleand study that player's signature first. Bring pictures of theactual signature to do a side-by-side comparison. Generally, it'ssafest to purchase from organizations known to be reliable forselling authentic memorabilia. For instance, if buying anactual player's jersey for any sport, consider doing so through thesport's official store. The MLB, NFL, NBA, NASCAR, and NHL all havestores where authentic sportswear is available.

If precautions are taken such as utilizing key value factorswhen purchasing sports memorabilia, true fans can have apleasurable buying experience, enjoying their authentic keepsakesfor years.

Identifying Authentic Sports Memorabilia

Because there are so many different types of sports memorabilia,there is only one universal factor used to classify them; thatbeing whether or not the piece of memorabilia has been examined andapproved by an authenticating company such as Professional SportsAuthenticators (PSA) or Memorabilia Evaluation and ResearchServices (MEARS). If the item has passed review by aprofessional company, it should have a certificate ofauthenticity. Other criteria used to determine the value of apiece of memorabilia vary depending on the item in question.

Autographed items can be assessed by the following keyvalue factors:

1. The identities of every athlete whosesignature is on the item.

2. Whether or not there is a photographof the item being signed.

3. Whether or not the item wasauthenticated by a professional service.

Photographs can be assessed by the following key valuefactors:

1. The identities of who or what is inthe photo.

2. Size of the photo.

3. Whether or not the photo is mounted,framed and/or matted.

4. Whether or not there are extras withthe photo that ties it to an event such

as a jersey, racetire, baseball bat, etc.

5. Whether or not the photo issigned.

6. Whether or not it has beenauthenticated by a professional service.

Trading cards can be assessed by the following key valuefactors:

1. The card manufacturer's name (Topps,Upper Deck, etc.).

2. The athlete on the card's name, thecard number, and the card year.

3. Whether or not there are extras withthe card that ties it to the player.

4. Whether or not it is autographed

5. Whether or not it is mounted, framed,or in a case

6. Whether or not it is graded by a cardgrading and authentication service like

Beckett orPSA

Miscellaneous sports items can be assessed by thefollowing key value factors:

1. What the item is and to which athleteand/or event it's related.

2. Whether the item has beenauthenticated by a professional service.

Authenticating Services

When evaluating a piece of sports memorabilia, be sure to makenote of the defining key value factors that are associated withspecific authenticating services. The most reputable ones willshare their entire process for authenticating items. For example,Steiner Sports prepares a notarized affidavit that is signed by theathlete and a company representative. The notarized affidavitrecords the date and location of the signing and also details theitems that were signed by the specified athlete. After thehand-signed collectible is examined for quality and signaturecondition, it is then affixed with a tamper-proof Steiner Sportshologram and secured in their offices. The collectible is nothandled until it is delivered to a buyer.

As a roundup, here's a list of trusted sports memorabiliaauthenticators and sellers:

• PSA/DNA
• Steiner Sports
• Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA)
• Tristar Productions
• Mounted Memories (MM)
• Global Authenticated (GAI)
• Online Authentics.com (OA)

Scott Lacourse is director of marketing for Enservio, which offerssoftware and services across the entire value chain of contentsclaim processing—from onsite inventory capture of non-restorablecontents—to transcription, appraisal, valuation, payment,replacement and predictive analytics.

Additional resources

How to Authenticate Sports Memorabilia

PSA and PSA/DNAServices

VariousSports Memorabilia Authenticator Processes