Sports Collectibles

The sports collectibles market is booming, but legitimate retailers and athletes aren't the only ones looking to make a few dollars. And with the infamous anonymity of the internet, its never been easier to get scammed. A signed Derek Jeter jersey for $50? Very suspicious. Despite their best efforts, ebay is one of the top hangouts for unscrupulous forgers. This article will give you a few online sports collectibles buying tips, but if you've got a short attention span for reading, we'll save you the time. The most important thing you need to know to protect yourself when buying autographed sports memorabilia online is: If it looks too good to be true, it is.

Now, if you're really looking to snag yourself some authentic, autographed sports swag, you should get familiar with a company named PSA-DNA (www.psadna.com). They are the market's leading autograph authenticators. They provide two services. First, they send professional witnesses to oversee current autograph sessions. They are used by all professional sports leagues. Superbowl Sunday? PSA-DNA was there, giving out unique, computer-tracabale holograms to footballs still soaked in Steeler's sweat. (For card grading, check out Beckett Grading Services.)

PSA-DNA also have an on-staff team of autograph experts to deal with collectibles on a per-item basis. They analyze the signature in excruciating detail and compare it to known authentic signatures, and also to common frauds (autopens, stamps, etc.) Their opinion is generally agreed to be the gold standard for autographs. Additionally, they provide a "QuickOpinion" service specifically for use with online auctions. Click the link on their homepage, and submit the auction item listing you're contemplating. Within 24-36 hours, you'll receive a return email grading your item as either "likely genuine" or "likely not genuine."

However, PSA-DNA charges $7.95 per item to do this and we can save you the money with a few easy general tips that are good for ruling out counterfit items. First, disregard customer feedback. Your gut-reaction, when seeing sports collectibles listed by an "A+++!!" seller is to buy with confidence, but ebay feedback is pretty easy to fake and it doesn't really mean anything here.

Second, do they picture the certificate of authenticity? Does it look like something you could have printed yourself, on your desk-top printer? This is an attempt to fool the uneducated buyer, but it's probably worth less than the paper it's printed on. Additionally, if the certificate was issued by a company you haven't heard of, don't trust it. Steiner Sports, Upper Deck and Mounted Memories are the three major players in the sports signing license arena. Additionally, some superstar athletes will start their own personal signing companies. A little research should turn up who your athlete is signing with. Only trust certificates of authenticity issued by this company.

As if your confidence weren't shaky enough already, there's even reports of online auction frauds ripping images off of the legitimate sports memorabilia websites and posting them on their own auctions. The item pictured is authentic, and the item you receive might look close enough that you can't even tell the difference, but trust us, Shaq never touched it. "I bought this signed helmet for a charity auction," one heartbreaking forum-poster writes. "But it doesn't look anything like the picture and my local sports shop assures me this is a fake. This is awful!"

The worst part is that this proliferation of forgeries hurts legitimate dealers and casts a sad shadow on an all-American past time. We are by no means saying you should not collect and treasure sports memorabilia autographed by your hometown hero. Just be savvy about it. Ebay may seem like an unbelievable deal, but if you're looking for the real thing, you should probably go with a more reputable (and probably more expensive) known retailer. Or try waiting around the stadium door with a blank ball and a large soda and keep your fingers crossed!