| The rush of seeing those cars go round and round at | | | | Next, try searching trading posts, newspapers, and |
| almost 200 MPH...the excitement of engines roaring | | | | garage sales. They might seem like a long shot, but |
| and cars pulling into pitstops, vying for the front | | | | folks still use these outlets to sell NASCAR |
| spot...it must be NASCAR! There's good news for all | | | | memorabilia. Then consider shopping at local antique |
| you die-hard NASCAR fans. If you want to get your | | | | stores and/or memorabilia shops. They display all |
| hands on some great memorabilia, you don't have to | | | | kinds of collectibles--some brand new, and some |
| go very far. You can find terrific mementos all over | | | | used. |
| the place. Autographs, clothing, decals - whatever | | | | A good way to get NASCAR memorabilia is by going |
| your heart's desire, it's out there. You just have to | | | | to an actual race. Granted, when you think of |
| know where to look. | | | | memorabilia, you think of something nostalgic. Most |
| My first suggestion is to search the World Wide | | | | people don't think of items you buy at a race as a |
| Web. With over 30 billion web pages available, many | | | | collector's item. But think of this--the merchandise of |
| of them are just for NASCAR admirers like yourself. | | | | today is the memorabilia of tomorrow. So the next |
| Auction sites like eBay or Yahoo Auctions are a good | | | | time you go to the race, be sure to purchase |
| place to start. eBay, for example, had 329 items | | | | something. Ten or twenty years down the road, you |
| found for NASCAR collectibles (in April 2008). Bear in | | | | may have a very valuable item, especially if it's a |
| mind that when searching for anything on eBay, you | | | | memorable race! |
| may have to try various search phrases to maximize | | | | There's one thing to be aware of when buying |
| results. You'll want to search for the words | | | | collectibles (whether it's NASCAR or anything else). |
| "NASCAR", "racing" and "auto racing" to describe the | | | | Anybody can claim that an item is a collectible. That, |
| sport. For the collectibles, try words like | | | | of course, doesn't necessarily make it so. Be sure |
| "memorabilia", "antiques", "collectibles", "old", or | | | | your item has a certificate of authenticity and a |
| "historic". It takes some time, but it's worth it. And of | | | | return policy that's acceptable to you. With online |
| course, don't just limit yourself to eBay and Yahoo. | | | | purchases, you also have to worry about websites |
| There are plenty of online sites (including | | | | wanting to infect your computer with spyware or |
| NASCAR.com) who sell items you'd be interested in. | | | | fake sites stealing your identity. So go out and have |
| Try Googling the same search words if eBay doesn't | | | | fun searching for cool stuff...just be smart about it. |
| turn up anything you'd be attracted to. | | | | |