Page 4 - JOA-august-23

Publisher’s Corner

Sports Fans Collect journalofantiques.com

ou can always spot a sports fan in the crowd— pair of game-worn Air Jordan 1 Publisher
whether at the stadium or on the street—because sneakers brought in a record auction Maxine Carter-Lome
Ythey’ll be the ones sporting head-to-toe branded price of $560,000, nearly four times journalofantiques@gmail.com
attire that publicly broadcasts their affinity for a sport, the initial estimate. In 2021, a pair Maxine Carter-Lome
Business Manager
team, or player. They are loud and proud in their support of Air Jordans worn in Jordan’s fifth Jeffrey Lome
and put their money where their mouth is! NBA game in his rookie season with the Bulls sold for jeffreylome@gmail.com
There is no doubt that the market for sports $1.47 million, and more recently, a pair of Last Dance
collectibles, merchandise, and memorabilia rides on trainers, worn during Game 2 of 1998 NBA Finals, Managing Editor
Judy Gonyeau
the coattails of a sport or team’s popularity. And with realized $2.2 million at auction, although falling below editorial.journalofantiques@gmail.com
multiple platforms available for fans to live stream games, the auction house estimate of $4 million. Based on these
build their own fantasy teams, and follow their favorite results and what appears to be significant buyer interest, Art Director
teams and players on social media, the market is exploding expect to see more game-worn attire from GOAT athletes Lynn Cotterman
to further expand its fan base. come out to play at auction in the coming years for this Production
According to Research and Markets (www.research second shot at immortality.
andmarkets.com), the Licensed Sports Merchandise While sports memorabilia dealers and specialty Lynn Cotterman
market in the U.S., from apparel to footwear and auction houses have traditionally been the market makers Judy Gonyeau
everything in between, was estimated at $5.5 billion in in this segment, the heat of the current market has not Jill Montague-Kaitbenski
2022. That’s a lot of T-shirts, Styrofoam fingers, athletic escaped the notice of such higher-end auction houses as
gear, bobbleheads, banners, baseball caps, and sneakers! Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Heritage Auctions, who are
Leading the pack is NFL-branded apparel and merchandise, now running headliner sports auctions of their own, 508-347-1960
followed by the NBA. Among the most popular NFL setting records and generating publicity in the process. Toll free:
franchises for fan-purchased merch? The Dallas While some fans collect and invest in sports 888-698-0734
Cowboys, followed by the Raiders. The San Francisco memorabilia to own something tangible from a team or Fax: 508-347-0911
49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pittsburgh Steelers round player they follow, others look at the escalating values of
Mailing:
out the top five, according to surveyed retailers. sports memorabilia and see it as an asset and 401K P. O. Box 950
Not surprisingly, sports fans are also collectors of investment. Yet, spending upwards of a million dollars or
Sturbridge, MA 01566
sports memorabilia in what has grown into a multi- more on something rare and memorable puts the really
billion-dollar market of its own. According to Market coveted stuff beyond the financial reach of the majority
journalofantiques@gmail.com
Decipher’s (www.marketdecipher.com/report/sports- of collectors.
collectibles-market) recently published report, “Size, One recent concept that has emerged in the high-end
UPS and FedEx
Statistics, Growth Trend Analysis, and Forecast Report, sports memorabilia market is what’s known as “fractional Shipping Address:
2022–2032,” over 60 million collectors are involved in buying;” essentially, purchasing shares of ownership in
113 Main Street, Unit 2
the purchase/trading of sports memorabilia in what was something that is financially above your means to Sturbridge, MA 01566
estimated as a $26 billion market in 2021 and is projected purchase outright. This is not unlike buying shares in a
to experience a compound annual growth rate of 21.8% company, where you can invest in ownership shares and Journal of
for a $227.2 billion market by 2023! This is exclusive trade them on a platform that tracks and trades, based on Antiques and Collectibles
of the sale of NFTs, which the Report estimated at $1.4 the market, the asset’s value. A portfolio of fractional is published monthly in digital
billion in 2022 and which they forecast to reach $92 shares in high-valued sports memorabilia items offers and quarterly in print by
billion by 2032. Yet, these stats do not even begin to 401K investors diversification and a hedge against Weathervane Enterprises, Inc.
cover fan-based collections such as game ticket stubs, inflation; a nominal investment by a fan of a few hundred 113 Main Street, Unit 2
autographed items, team mementos, and promotional dollars or more gives them bragging rights to owning a Sturbridge MA 01566
giveaways; items collected over time the old fashion way piece of sports history or something from their personal
Periodicals postage paid at
– by paying to be a fan in the seats and waiting outside legend; however, like NFTs, the true collector has Sturbridge MA
the locker room for an autograph. nothing to put out in their display case to show for
One has only to follow the mainstream news to see their investment.
who and what is driving the high-end sports memorabilia Also in this issue, we take a look at the life and art of POSTMASTER:
market. Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Mickey Mantle, American Artist Dick Perez, known for his paintings of Send address changes to
Honus Wagner, and Bill Russell are just a few of the baseball players for various card series (see our cover) and The Journal of Antiques
headliners breaking records off the field at auction these as the official artist for the Baseball Hall of Fame. You and Collectibles
days. Top sales items include game-worn jerseys and will also learn more about appraising and how sports
sneakers, mint-condition trading cards, and personal collectibles’ market values vary from Judy Gonyeau’s ISSN: (1539-5618)
mementos. A quick snapshot of what has sold at auction one-on-one interview with Antiques Roadshow Appraiser P.O. Box 950
Sturbridge, MA 01566
in just the first six months of 2023 can be found on page Simeon Lipman, share the history behind and growing
14 in this month’s issue. collectability of bobbleheads in an article from The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
When it comes to sneakers, Air Jordans, like their WorthPoint, and take a journey with Doug Kelly to reserves the right to reject any advertising that
does not comply with our standards. The
namesake, dominate the field at auction. The popularity explore sports-related give-aways. Journal will not be liable for any errors or
of the Netflix/ESPN-produced documentary miniseries We hope you enjoy your summer and find what you omissions but will print a correction in the
02/23
following issue if notification of such error is
The Last Dance, and Air, the recently released movie are looking for! sent by the appropriate deadline. Original
about Nike’s signing of Michael Jordan and the creation manuscripts are welcomed by qualified
writers. We assume no responsibility for loss
of the Air Jordan sneaker, have created a wave of nostalgia of unsolicited material.
for this golden era of the 1980s and the NBA greats so
Copyright 2023
many current collectors grew up watching. In 2020, a Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher All rights reserved

2 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles