Popular sports memorabilia can include balls, bats, photos, boots, and jerseys. Fans collect them for sentimental value or sometimes pass them on as gifts. More importantly, well-preserved sports memorabilia can fetch an enormous profit in the future.
Steve Hodge, a former England midfielder, sold Diego Maradona’s shirt for £7.1m, making it the highest price ever paid for sports memorabilia. As such, it’s worth all the effort to preserve, care for, or insure any form of sports memorabilia, especially if it is autographed. If you need to insure any memorabilia collections, contact our insurance representatives today.
The value of collectibles may reduce when exposed to environmental elements like light, dust, humidity, or varying temperatures. In addition, failure to secure your sports memorabilia can attract the wrong attention.
Here are key ways to protect your memorabilia:
Framing preserves value, whether you obtained your sports memorabilia from an auction, lined up for an autograph, or received it as a gift. Museum style frames are built with acid-free UV-filtering materials and concurrently display the art. Moreover, a frame prevents unnecessary handling and exposure to sunlight, retaining its value.
After getting that prized autograph, don’t expose it to theft by storing openly in the basement or attic. Consider a more secure location with high-tech security controls like a safe. Alternatively, invest in a secure shadow box to protect the item from humidity, UV rays, and unauthorized access.
Avoid cleaning leather items with oils or creams. Instead, use a soft brush or cloth to remove surface dirt and oils. Also, remember to wash a player's uniform or jersey before storage. Let it dry completely before storing it in an archival box.
Sports memorabilia also includes paper collectibles like tickets, program notes, or newspaper clippings. Store them in an archival plastic sleeve or acid-free envelope. Ensure the plastic sleeve has passed the Photographic Activity Test(P.A.T), a standard that prevents natural deterioration.
Baseball cards are small in size, making their storage cumbersome. On the other hand, a newspaper clipping progressive suffers slow paper decay and yellowing. Use a flatbed scanner or digital camera to generate a digital copy that you can store in the cloud. Alternatively, print the newspaper on acid-free paper to preserve the original image.
Besides physical and environmental dangers, sports memorabilia faces the risk of theft, flood, or fire. Remember, standard homeowners insurance does not include sports memorabilia. You can therefore take out a sports memorabilia insurance policy to cover and protect your collection.
Here are a few tips to boost your insurable interest in sports memorabilia.
Sports memorabilia is a priceless possession that deserves a high level of protection. Regardless of the kind of sports memorabilia you hold, FACE has an ideal insurance policy for you. Contact us to get a custom cover for your prized collection. Call: 916-721-2845