Be it in the world of fine art, real estate, or the purchase of sports memorabilia, the temptation to accept the fact that a deal may be too good to be true has destroyed several investment opportunities. It is true that outright frauds and scandals have made it difficult for collectors to be suspicious of the authenticity of the collectibles that they wish to buy; but then all items on sale are not fake. Third party marketplaces have added fuel to fire by making the collectible and autograph market prone to illegitimate sales by selling just about anything.
Fakes have indeed taken over the marketplace with less or negligible foresight being present in terms of genuine buyers and sellers of memorabilia alike. As the collection of genuine and autographed sports memorabilia serves to be an expensive hobby, it is important for collectors to protect their investments by getting the education they deserve. Here are some essential points to remember to avoid getting duped in your purchases.
- Become knowledgeable with respect to the signing habits of the athletes and other sportsperson on your list. For example, Michael Jordan is a premium athlete on the list of Upper Deck. In case the Jordan autograph being purchased by you fails to have an Upper Deck Authenticated COA and hologram then it is probably fake; choose accordingly.
- Always make your purchases from dealers who are ready to offer legitimate COA and are willing to share information about how they obtained their signatures. For example, reputed collectible sellers would provide you with a COA on their pieces which provide evidence of them being genuine in every conceivable manner.
- Do not be conned into making a purchase that will lead you up the wrong path. Stay away from ‘too good to be true deals’ as they may end up being fakes. For example, Emmitt Smith would charge $285 for signing a full-size helmet when he chooses to do so at autograph shows. The cost only covers the signature — with the helmet not being included. In cased you happen to find Cowboys helmets autographed by the legend for $300.00 or less, they are most likely to be fake.
- It is essential to buy sports memorabilia from reputed, genuine and authorized dealers Do your research carefully. Don’t accept the autographed items that are in the possession of vendors claiming to have procured them from places other than organized events.
- The collectibles that you finally decide to invest in should have a history of fetching good returns for their buyers. You may want to go through the list of genuine vintage sports memorabilia as they are likely to fetch sound profits in due course.
Linger no longer, and start scouring through the sport memorabilia stores of your choice to get your hands on these valuable collectibles. Once done, you may look forward to getting the best results
in the form of big rewards. These lessons will help you make lucrative profits from your investments!
