What Makes A Sports Autograph Valuable?

It's a question that many people ask. Unfortunately there really is no clear-cut simple answer. In fact, it usually leads to a general response like "well, what's it worth to you?"

You have to get into the details of the autograph.

For example what would you pay more for a football signed by Tom Brady that you were there to see him sign with your own eyes, and the football has been authenticated or a Tom Brady autographed football with no authentication, from your next door neighbor who has absolutely no history of collecting sports memorabilia? The answer is pretty obvious.

The condition of the memorabilia is hugely important. If you were to buy an Alex Rodriguez signed baseball, wouldn't it be worth more if that ball was in good condition? Obviously, if the baseball is muddy or even scratchy, the value of it goes down. That's why you could never look at signed baseball by a player and say "well, if this one is worth x amount of dollars, then they are all worth x amount of dollars." It just doesn't work that way.

You also have to look at the context of the memorabilia. Lets do a comparison of autographed Michael Jordan Jerseys.

The first jersey is from a pre-season game in 1993 when he played a total 11 minutes versus the LA Clippers. The second jersey is from Game 5 of the NBA Finals, when the Bulls won their first title against the Lakers. Jordan was named MVP and it was the beginning of the Bulls dynasty of the 1990s. Hmm.. let me see, which one would be worth more? It's a no-brainer.

You don't have to be a sports addict to understand it either. Looking at a simple autograph is just not enough for a person to know "How much is this worth?" There are many subtle layers to this hobby/business that everyone needs to be aware of.

It will never be that cut and dry. But to many, that's what makes collecting so much fun: All the different variables.