Just about the time you read this article, we’ll be winding down the famed NCAA Final Four Tournament and National Championship game for men’s Division 1 college basketball.
The tournament has a long and storied history dating back to 1939, at which time only eight teams participated. It has been held every year since and now involves 68 teams over a period of 19 days. With that amount of national participation and exposure, it has turned into one of our nation’s premier sports events.
So, while college sports collectibles don’t necessarily command the prices that professional sports collectibles do, there still is a good deal of interest in the genre.
Within the genre are three primary groups of collectibles. They are memorabilia, equipment and uniforms. Memorabilia would include things like trophies and medals, pendants, photographs and ephemera (paper items not meant to last long, such as programs, postcards and tickets). Equipment would include basketballs and nets. Uniforms would, of course, include clothing and shoes.
Value is impacted by factors such as condition, scarcity, event and player recognition, as well as provenance or the documented history of an item.
Some interesting items recently spotted for sale online include:
- A John Wooden signed official NCAA Final Four game basketball for $1,850.
- A Dean Smith signed North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA game basketball, also $1,850.
- A Mike Krzyzewski signed Duke Blue Devils basketball jersey for $1,015.
- A Wisconsin Badgers team-issued practice jersey for $300.
- A Michael Jordan autographed University of North Carolina Player of the Year Sporting News magazine, $1,300.
What is one of the priciest items? Michael Jordan’s North Carolina Tar Heels autographed and framed jersey with photos and authentication by sports memorabilia company Upper Deck. A cool $4,000 and it’s yours.
So what’s in your locker?
Jon Englund has more than 30 years of experience in appraising and liquidating personal property, jewelry, art, collectibles, antiques, furniture, printed items and more, as well as more than 15 years of experience in real estate. A Midwest transplant, Jon trained at New York University in appraisal studies.
Donna Luger has assisted during that time, and is a veteran Associate Broker and Realtor with HomeSmart Realty—Elite Group.
For more information, call (480) 699-1567. You also can send an email to Jon@KnowBeforeYouThrow.INFO.