The Real Value of Sporting Memorabilia
Pretty much everyone has heard the stories about someone discovering their grandfather’s old baseball/basketball/footy cards in the attic and getting big bucks for them at the auction house. Unfortunately, events like this are considered to be urban legends for a reason – they happen so rarely they might as well be fantasy.
When we do come across a particularly valuable piece of memorabilia, it’s generally for one of a very few good reasons. If you’re wondering if that family heirloom memorabilia is worth anything, read on and let The Picture Factory inform you in our latest article.
Not just what it is but how you use it
Considering the reputation of the Olympics, many people are stunned to learn that that the value of the materials in an Olympic gold medal is made from is only about 600 USD. That said, if every gold medal winner were to take their own medal to market, you’d get some wild variation in price. With some, the price may not even reach five digits. For others, such as Ukrainian two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko’s medal, you’d earn roughly a million dollars, which Klitschko did in 2012 for the medal he won at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. It’s only Klitschko’s status not just as one of the most stunning boxers to ever grace the ring in recent decades, but as a Ukrainian national treasure that pushed the price into the seven-digit range.
A piece of history
Sometimes the value of a piece of memorabilia doesn’t come from who owned but from what events it was present for. One of the most valuable pieces of sporting memorabilia of all time is the baseball jersey the great Babe Ruth wore during his legendary 1920 season. While much of Ruth’s career is considered to be marvellous, it was the 1920 season when he nearly single-handedly pulled the Yankees back from a 4-7 record to a third place finish, breaking records for game attendance and home runs hit in a season.
Sports memorabilia doesn’t have to be old to be valuable. By contrast, the ball that Mark McGwire hit for his 70th homerun of the 1998 baseball season attracted $3 million at auction.
If you’re looking to preserve your own piece of sporting history – whether it’s a legendary bat from a nationally-attended game or just something personal with great sentimental value – do it with the team at The Picture Factory.
