Best memorabilia investment out there

MVSNYC · #1 06-10-2022, 10:29 PM

Steve- fun topic, great thread.

I wholeheartedly agree about Jeter. I think in 5-10 years, a game worn Jersey/Uniform of his will command a lot more then it does now (which is pretty robust, deservedly so). Especially with all the proper letters and photo-matching, etc. Great investment. A few years ago I bought a Jeter full Game Worn Home Uniform from his final season (photo-matched to the last subway series he ever played against the Mets). Great use, fully documented.

Also, about 5 years ago I purchased one of the finest Jeter Game Used & Signed Rookie Bats that's out there. Fully documented, PSA/DNA GU10.

I think he was one of the best players over the last 25 years, and a true Yankee great.

SyrNy1960 · #2 06-11-2022, 09:37 AM

Awesome game used Derek Jeter Bat. I love bats that show tons of use. Here is my Arod 2009 bat.

SyrNy1960 · #3 06-11-2022, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

Steve- fun topic, great thread.

I wholeheartedly agree about Jeter. I think in 5-10 years, a game worn Jersey/Uniform of his will command a lot more then it does now (which is pretty robust, deservedly so). Especially with all the proper letters and photo-matching, etc. Great investment. A few years ago I bought a Jeter full Game Worn Home Uniform from his final season (photo-matched to the last subway series he ever played against the Mets). Great use, fully documented.

Also, about 5 years ago I purchased one of the finest Jeter Game Used & Signed Rookie Bats that's out there. Fully documented, PSA/DNA GU10.

I think he was one of the best players over the last 25 years, and a true Yankee great.

How long is the crack (If that is a crack) in your Jeter bat?

mrreality68 · #4 06-11-2022, 12:04 PM

not for my collection yet but I can see game worn items and game used bats picking up even more at some point. With the main focus on HOF'ers, infamous players, or when special records that are/were broken

Chris-Counts · #5 06-11-2022, 12:07 PM

I see flannel jerseys as the pinnacle of baseball memorabilia, but not necessarily the best investment, since their prices are sky high.

I believe caps are the most undervalued genre of baseball memorabilia. They're at least as rare as flannel jerseys, but they're relatively affordable � '50s and '60s flannel jerseys routinely sell for thousands, while I've paid just a couple hundred dollars each for many of my best caps from the '50s and '60s.

Jerseys and caps are tough to find and make the great display items. I don't find bats and gloves nearly as interesting. People love to show off their stuff, and I believe the best display items will always be in demand.

I love publications, but I see their values headed south as the sheer number of the them available dwarfs the number of potential collectors in the future. I also like autographs, but they're such a rabbit hole of potential fraud that many collectors are scared off by them. As for pins, they are definitely rare and desirable, but overpriced.

perezfan · #6 06-11-2022, 02:38 PM

Game-used Flannels, pre-1970 gets my vote. They have really dried up, and collectors of these pieces are always hesitant to let them go. And I agree with Chris that game-used Caps are way undervalued as well.

Mark17 · #7 06-11-2022, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perezfan

Game-used Flannels, pre-1970 gets my vote. They have really dried up, and collectors of these pieces are always hesitant to let them go. And I agree with Chris that game-used Caps are way undervalued as well.

+1

Comparing GU flannels to baseball cards is comparing actual artifacts that were integral to the game - actually in the stadium, on the field, in the dugout and clubhouse - to mass produced, mass distributed, pictures of them.

By the way, I just won a 1955 Pirates road shirt, all original, from tonight's Leland's auction. With BP it's about $1,240. That's well less than half the price of a PSA 3.5 picture of Clemente:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203970092379

That card probably never got anywhere near Clemente, but he probably casually glanced at this very jersey a hundred times.

ooo-ribay · #8 06-12-2022, 07:23 AM

So, Steve�. the panelist didn�t mention NFT�s or quarter million dollar Brady cards?

I�m a fan of game used bats. Although I�ll never sell, I can see that some bats I bought 30 years ago have appreciated quite a bit.

Stupe the Second Sacker · #9 06-12-2022, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooo-ribay

So, Steve�. the panelist didn�t mention NFT�s or quarter million dollar Brady cards?

I'm going to invest heavily in NFTs...as soon as I figure out what they are.

bigfanNY · #10 06-11-2022, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

I see flannel jerseys as the pinnacle of baseball memorabilia, but not necessarily the best investment, since their prices are sky high.

I believe caps are the most undervalued genre of baseball memorabilia. They're at least as rare as flannel jerseys, but they're relatively affordable � '50s and '60s flannel jerseys routinely sell for thousands, while I've paid just a couple hundred dollars each for many of my best caps from the '50s and '60s.

Jerseys and caps are tough to find and make the great display items. I don't find bats and gloves nearly as interesting. People love to show off their stuff, and I believe the best display items will always be in demand.

I love publications, but I see their values headed south as the sheer number of the them available dwarfs the number of potential collectors in the future. I also like autographs, but they're such a rabbit hole of potential fraud that many collectors are scared off by them. As for pins, they are definitely rare and desirable, but overpriced.

Chris I am on the other end of the spectrum. I too like to display my items but I find that Bats are much easier to display than my caps. In fact I recently sold a nice Mike Trout Hat after I put up a bat display with my Mike Trout Bat. I also Love Love Publications and belive that scorecards and publications before 1910 are very undervalued and are in extremely short supply. Now as you move further on the supply increases. Take world series programs as an example. Easy to put together a collection from 1950 on but as you go back decades they get tougher to the point most WS collectors stop in the 20's. The first 5 are beyond scarce and even at current valuations I think under priced.
As for pins they have never been a focus of mine. Although I did collect PX7 Domino disks for a bit. But the earliest examples like Luxello's are beautiful and rare so again like publications. Early examples I think are undervalued. Funny but as I write this I seem to be saying that most memorabilia categories with examples before 1910 are scarce and undervalued. And you could make the same case for cards. Old Judges have always in my opinion been undervalued with a small group of collectors focused on those sets. Most vintage collectors like myself are satisfied with a few examples maybe a Hall of famer or two. Imagine if everyone who collects baseball cards ( shiny stuff included) decided they needed to have an old judge HOF in their collection the prices would rocket. But then most of us me included would be priced out of collecting stuuf we like. Which has happened to me more than once in the past 45 years of collecting.

Jewish-collector · #11 06-11-2022, 06:25 PM

Collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
beer chug.gif beer chug.gif beer chug.gif beer chug.gif beer chug.gif

Exhibitman · #12 06-11-2022, 08:00 PM

Team issued photos of postwar superstars. Those are not the vaunted 'Type I' photos that have skyrocketed but the under-appreciated and not well-documented publicity photos by the teams. I've been grabbing them up for years. A few have gone very strong: MJ, Jim Brown, Wilt Chamberlain, etc. Most are not there yet, though, and even the ones that are moving up can still be found on the cheap relative to baseball. I think the wave is gathering, though, because the supply on eBay has dried up. And some images:

Hankphenom · #13 06-12-2022, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jewish-collector

Collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.

+1. The question was about investment, however, and to that I say: if you can predict the sports memorabilia market or the stock market or any other market, you're smarter than me.

MVSNYC · #14 06-12-2022, 10:16 PM

Hi Tony, thanks for your kind words...and I love that Arod gamer!...Re: My Rookie Jeter Bat- it was cracked, and then later professionally restored (it has since been rephotographed for the updated PSA/DNA LOA (GU10). The bat actually is due to go on display at The Yankee's Museum (at Yankee Stadium). They were planning a Jeter exhibit for 2020, and that was obviously postponed due to Covid. The exhibit has been on hold, but when they finally have it, I've agreed to loan it to them.

ooo-ribay · #15 05-02-2025, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jewish-collector

Collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
Attachment 520605 Attachment 520605 Attachment 520605 Attachment 520605 Attachment 520605

I could not agree more. Although a fair number of my items have appreciated in value, that has absolutely nothing to do with why I collect. My collection is a love; not an investment.

UKCardGuy · #16 05-04-2025, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooo-ribay

I could not agree more. Although a fair number of my items have appreciated in value, that has absolutely nothing to do with why I collect. My collection is a love; not an investment.

I look at it the same way. I have a bit of a scattergun approach. I buy memorabilia that I like if I find it at a good price. If I want to give this approach heirs and graces then we can call it a "diversification strategy".

I'm not blind to the value and it certainly makes me feel better if the prices go up. But if my collection simply holds it's value then I feel like I'm ahead because I've been able to get the enjoyment from my collection.

All of that said, the OP asked what memorabilia might be a good investment. Others mentioned photos, GU caps, GU bat and GU jerseys. I think these are all great choices. Personally, I'd look at items where the demand will remain strong and the supply is limited. In my opinion, Type 1 photos, pre-war postcards and magazines are all really undervalued. They all have the benefit of being gradeable. I know that there's loads of issues with grading but it does help to create demand because it removes doubt for buyers.

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