Share
PrintMore Bang for Your Buck: Collecting Sports Memorabilia
Reported by:
Producer:
Laura Garrigan
Contact:
Archived Reports:
With five days until opening day, fish fans know it will be hard to top last year's World Series. Even Marlins' merchandise has become a hot commodity. But before you start your collection, we're fielding some advice from the pros... In tonight's More Bang For Your Buck.
In '72 - the Dolphins scored with the perfect season...
In '96, the Panthers went for the Stanley Cup... They fell short, but still made South Florida history.
Record breaking, record setting... it's moments like these that sports collectors live for.
Rich Alton is an all-American sports lover. As owner of Hollywood Collectibles, he decided to spin his favorite hobby into a career.
"
It starts off a lot of fun, and then you accumulate, and then, obviously, you need to sell some stuff, and that's how I got started," he says.If you'd like to get your collection started, the choices are endless..
Everything from figurines to cards to balls are considered collectibles.
But if you want to increase the value, it has to have a signature.
"
What's gonna make something more valuable are autographs, especially if whoever autographed is deceased," says Henry Pascar of Proco MemorabiliaHe also says it's hard to strike out with hard to find items.
"
An investment down the line would be the vintage cards where they only made so many, and they don't exist anymore," he says.Another good play is to invest in rookies.
"Get them early," says Rich. "Get them when they're reasonable because if they become big stars... because they're prices escalate in a hurry."
Marlins memorabilia jumped quite a bit after their big win.
Today, signed baseballs by Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera cost about 55 dollars each - that's up twenty dollars from this time last year.
But how do you know if you're getting the real deal?
Ask for certificates of authenticity and look for a player's personal hologram.
It's also important to know who you're buying from, because even a pro like Rich knows a foul ball can pop up anywhere.
He says, "
I think it's up to the collector to ask questions and educate themselves as much as they can, and I think they'll be a lot happier for it."Another tip, a good way to get legit signatures is to meet the players in person.
Many local stores offer signing open to the public.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact: lmartinez@wsvn.com
Rich Altman
Hollywood Collectibles
3942 N.46th Avenue
Hollywood, FL
954-986-0707
altman@hollywoodcollectibles.com
Proco Memorabilia, INC.
5289 NW 108 Ave.
Sunrise, FL
1-800-226-1555
954-749-4900 ext. 2