decent items ridiculous prices!

[momen55]

so, who here, realistically, believes that modern/current players items are worth in the thousands of dollars?

[sportsnbikes]

Not me. I'd much rather spend 5000 on an old hall of famer.

[danesei@yahoo.com]

so, who here, realistically, believes that modern/current players items are worth in the thousands of dollars?

I do. It's due to marketability. People don't buy the $1500 Miguel Cabrera game used jersey for future value. They buy it to brag to their friends.

[bravesfanjd]

I don't think it has to do with bragging I just feel society is more an in the moment society so even with baseball a game built on history people still are living in the moment and want those right now items more. I'll be honest if I was offered both a hank Aaron game used bat or a chipper game used bat I would take the chipper because it means more so maybe that's why people are spending more money on the now items. If your a Tigers fan andy you and your child go see muggy play ten times a year it makes total sense to me that you would pay more for a miggy item then less for a great hofer. That miggy item would mean more in a sentimental way

[twarman17]

MLB authentication is a big reason current items sell so high. With older items you have no 100% confirmation they were actually game used, and you have no idea when exactly they were used (except in limited circumstances). With the authentication process you know they are legit, and in many circumstances the exact date they were used. Also, buying direct from the team enhances value, and people want to have items from players they are currently watching on tv or at games.

[momen55]

so, a player that's been around 1-2 seasons, whose items are being sold throughout constitute selling prices of 5k? seriousy? some young guy's bat selling for 5k?

[momen55]

i've bought hall of fame players' items for a fraction of that!

[danesei@yahoo.com]

so, a player that's been around 1-2 seasons, whose items are being sold throughout constitute selling prices of 5k? seriousy? some young guy's bat selling for 5k?

The only player (that I know of) who falls into that category would be Mike Trout, and, even then, I don't think his bats sell for $5k.

[G1X]

so, who here, realistically, believes that modern/current players items are worth in the thousands of dollars?

+1 with regards to current NFL jerseys. Let's follow-up in about 10 years just to prove the point. I have been watching this dance for nearly 40 years and it never changes. Case in point - how well are those game-used jerseys of Scott Mitchell, Dan Majkowski, Bobby Hebert, Jeff George, Jim Everett etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, selling 20 years down the road? If you bought them as they hit the hobby in the 1990s, you have probably learned by now that the prices paid then will not be matched if you tried to sell today. Considering that the buying power of a dollar is about 50% higher in 2014 that it was in the mid-1990s, the loss in value is even greater. Not intending to be cold, just making a point.

If you are a big fan of the player, the team, the jersey style, etc., or there is a particular sentimental value involved, the price you paid is probably irrelevant as the value to you is much more than just the price tag (the Chipper Jones/Hank Aaron comparison in an above post is a great example). I understand that well. But if it is a jersey you decide to sell somewhere down the road for whatever reason, be prepared to be disappointed if you think that you will get anywhere close to the high price you originally paid.

My issue with the price tags on many modern NFL jerseys is that it prices a number of collectors out of the market. I collect mostly vintage jerseys, but on the rare occasion that I am looking to pick up a modern jersey, I usually refrain from doing so as I personally find the prices to be more than what I feel the jersey is worth. When I can buy two rare, vintage durene NFL jerseys that are 50-years old (as I did last week) for about half the price of a 2014 jersey of a player who participated in one regular season game (the one for sale was worn only in the preseason), I feel that the 2014 jersey is not a good value despite badly wanting it because the player is from my alma mater.

But that's just my opinion - each to their own in what they collect and how much they wish to spend.

Mark Hayne
Gridiron Exchange
gixc@verizon.net

Always looking for 1974/75 WFL game-used uniforms.