Tiger Woods may not have finished The Masters in the position he was hoping for, but his famous irons from the “Tiger Slam” era sold for $5.1 million over the weekend. That is 8 times what they sold for in 2013. While Woods won’t be cashing in on his former clubs, someone else is.
The sports memorabilia industry is part of the collectibles market, which currently has a global value of $370 billion. There are over 200 million people who are collectors of various types in the world today. About 33% of global collectors have purchased, owned, or previously owned at least one sports memorabilia collectible. Market experts predict the collectibles market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.7 percent during 2022 to 2031.
There are a few reasons why someone might invest their money into sports collectibles. In addition to the lack of confidence in the dollar, some collectors are looking for additional assets to devote funds. With disposable income, these people look to NFTs, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and sports collectibles as alternative sources for investing.
In the world of collectibles, sports memorabilia is by far the most popular. Michael Jordan, who played in the “Flu Game” in the 1997 NBA Finals, had his shoes recently sold at auction for over $100,000. People are purchasing sports memorabilia of their childhood heroes. Some of these items conjure memories and emotional nostalgia, which is very powerful.
If you’re considering collectibles as a new venture, you have to know what and who sells. Trading cards are still a dominant force in the sports memorabilia market with over 98% of sports collectors spending time collecting trading cards at some point in their lives. Individuals like Eli Manning, Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Mickey Mantle, and Tom Brady are all top athletes to collect.
Team leaders are The New York Yankees, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bulls. Retired and deceased athlete memorabilia are the most valuable. Autographed collectibles don’t always raise the value of an item. Unless you have witnessed an athlete sign something or it has been certified, trusting autographs may be risky. The most expensive item of sports memorabilia sold is a 1920 Babe Ruth game-used jersey, valued at $4.4 million.
From trading cards to magazines to game-worn apparel, the sports memorabilia industry in the United States has seen slow and steady growth since 2011. With the constant flow of retiring and new emerging superstar athletes, this market isn’t slowing down. Even during the pandemic, sports collecting grew. As long as there are sports, there will be sports memorabilia generated.
The internet has created a platform where anonymous sellers can inexpensively advertise their items to millions of buyers throughout the world without meeting them in person. Golden Auctions, Heritage Auctions, and eBay are all places to locate your favorite athlete collectible and own a piece of sports history. Auction sites will offer graded and certified items.