| COLLECTING sports collectibles or sports | | | | keep a more general collection, accumulating any or all |
| memorabilia, antique or modern, is limited by two | | | | Baseball memorabilia, Basketball memorabilia, Football |
| factors: the money available and the space to be | | | | memorabilia, Golf memorabilia, NASCAR memorabilia, |
| filled. Having determined these basic essentials, it is | | | | Diecast collectibles, Bobble Heads, or Hero Posters. |
| then a personal matter. The taste of the collector | | | | When the NBA, MLB, and NFL began selling their |
| may lead to Baseball Memorabilia, Basketball | | | | basketball, baseball, and football jerseys in stores |
| Memorabilia, Football Memorabilia, Golf Memorabilia, | | | | during the 1980s, game used jerseys also became a |
| NASCAR memorabilia, Diecast Collectibles, Bobble | | | | hot item among sports memorabilia collectors. Former |
| Heads, Hero Posters, or innumerable other things. The | | | | NBA player Dennis Rodman was famous for taking |
| lucky acquisition of an admired piece may lead to a | | | | off his jerseys and throwing them to the stands |
| determination to get more of the same, or at least | | | | after his games were over. Michael Jordan is probably |
| to find out what the admiration is all about. | | | | the basketball player whose memorabilia is most |
| An encyclopedia definition of Sports Collecting would | | | | sought after by collectors. Today's stars include Ben |
| go something like this: "The hobby of sports collecting | | | | Roethlisberger, Shaquille O'Neil, Nomar Garciaparra, |
| consists of acquiring specific sports items based on a | | | | etc. These players seem to be pushing the already |
| particular sporting interest of the sports collector. | | | | popular area of sports collectibles and memorabilia to |
| These sports collections of sporting things are often | | | | a new level of acceptance to the public. |
| highly organized, carefully cataloged, and attractively | | | | Collections can take the form of a single item such as |
| displayed." A sports collectible (or collectable) is | | | | a signed baseball, football, or basketball. Collections |
| defined as a manufactured item designed for people | | | | can also take the form of a series of items, such as |
| interested in sports to collect. The term sports | | | | jerseys from each member of a particular baseball, |
| memorabilia usually refers to items related to sporting | | | | basketball, or football team. A NASCAR collection of |
| that can be directly connected to a recent or | | | | hats from different drivers is very popular. Golf balls |
| historical sporting event or sports personality. There | | | | with different logos are especially popular. The cost |
| are many people that collect these sports | | | | of any sports collectible memorabilia item is directly |
| memorabilia and collectibles. | | | | proportional to the popularity of the sports figure |
| Since collecting depends on the interests of the | | | | with which the item correlates. The more popular the |
| individual collector, it may deal with almost any | | | | sports figure, the more money the sports collectible |
| subject including sports collectible & sports | | | | memorabilia item will demand. The whole sports |
| memorabilia. The depth and breadth of the collection | | | | collectible memorabilia industry is driven by supply and |
| may also vary. Some collectors choose to focus on a | | | | demand. The more demand the higher the price and |
| specific subtopic within their area of general interest, | | | | vice versa. Also, the more supply of an item, the |
| for example Baseball memorabilia of the New York | | | | lower the price. Sports cards would be a good |
| Yankees, Basketball memorabilia of the Los Angeles | | | | example. Only so many of certain cards were ever |
| Lakers, Football memorabilia of the Dallas Cowboys, | | | | made. Those carry a higher price than those that |
| Golf memorabilia of Tiger Woods, NASCAR | | | | were made in bulk. Quality is a very big determining |
| memorabilia of Tony Stewart, Diecast collectibles of | | | | factor in the price of any sports collectible |
| fire trucks, Bobble Heads for any sport, & posters of | | | | memorabilia item. In general, the better the quality, |
| heroes such as Lance Armstrong. Others prefer to | | | | the higher the price. |