The Sports Memorabilia Market is on the Rise

Do you remember the days when collecting sports cards was nothing more than a hobby? Have you come to realize that things have changed quite a bit over the years?

Don’t look now, but the sports memorabilia market has never been hotter. You don’t have to look any further than the recent sale of a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card for $12.6 million. That’s right, a card you could have found in a pack 70 years ago is now selling for more than $12 million.

But it’s not just the Mantle. Here are some other eye-popping sales from 2022:

  • 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner – $7,250,000
  • 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner – $3,720,000
  • 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket Tom Brady Autograph 008/100 – $2,400,000
  • 2020-21 Panini Flawless Triple Logoman LeBron James 1/1 – $2,400,000
  • 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Rookie Patch Autograph Parallel LeBron James /23 – $2,100,000

Now, what do you think? Do you realize just how far the sports memorabilia market has come over the past few years?

If you’re looking to get involved, here are a few things you need to know:

  • Cards from the 1970s or earlier are most likely to hold value.
  • Cards produced in the 1990s are from the “junk wax era.” There are exceptions, but most of these cards were mass-produced and hold little to no value.
  • Modern-day cards can be just as valuable as vintage (see above), but it generally has to be the right player (a superstar) in short print.

If you have a sports card collection or a single card of great value, don’t hesitate to contact Four Sales for more information on consigning. Let us do the work of finding the right buyer at the right price.

Four Sales is the leading estate sale company in Virginia, DC and Maryland. For the past 40+ years, Four Sales has conducted over 3,000 estate sales in Virginia, DC and Maryland. Four Sales estate sales headquarters is in Alexandria, Virginia with regional offices in Charlottesville, Virginia and Annapolis, Maryland.   

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