Many items that we buy in life, lose value the minute they are purchased. A new car, a diamond ring, 100 buffalo wings (value actually increases while eating, severely decreases later that day or the following day), these items have great value, but they literally drop by almost half immediately. Several items are similar to this in the sports memorabilia/collectibles arena, but to the contrary, we are going to discuss one item that does not depreciate, it appreciates, usually by at least 100% in the first year.
There are a few main things to look for if you want to buy a sports collectible that will hold or increase in value. The key is to look to items that are limited in supply that also have demand. There are opportunities for these types of items in a few categories within the sports collectibles umbrella. One of the items that satisfies both the ability to be decor and the ability to be an investment is the Riddell Alternative Helmets.
In the category regarding unsigned memorabilia & collectibles, there are a few items that come right to the top. One of those items are the specialty alternative helmets from Riddell. This is a fairly recently started line from the officially licensed producer of helmets for the NFL, Riddell. Every year Riddell releases 1 or 2 alternative helmets, these will not be worn on the field, but they are essentially a collectors edition helmet for autograph collectors, and football helmet collectors. What makes these valuable, and why do they hold value? The reason these are a good buy from a customer stand point is the limited nature of these helmets. Riddell only does one run of these helmets, and does not produce them again. A good example is the Blaze series, which was the second release on the alternative helmets from Riddell, a Miami Dolphins Blaze Alternative Mini Helmet. This mini helmet released in the range of $34.99-39.99. It's now selling on eBay for $400-500 dollars. Why? Because it's rare (limited supply), it looks good (spiking demand). If you bought this helmet back upon it's release, you would now be able to make 10-12 times your money back! In about a 4-5 year period, that's better than buying stocks!
Digging into the supply side a bit more, we don't know exactly how many alternative helmets Riddell produces, but we do know they don't continue to produce them. Due to cost, it's a fair assumption to say they make less full-size specialty helmets than minis. Meaning the supply of full-size helmets is even more limited that the alternative mini helmets. This would intuitively make you think that buying the full-size helmets would be the better purchase. In some ways yes, but possibly your return could be better on the minis and here why that's could be the case. Since this is a retail consumer product, there does become a level of price that the buyer will cap out at. It's difficult for a Full-Size replica helmet to appreciate at the rate a mini would because in our earlier example, a full-size replica helmet would have to sell for close to $2,000 for the same return to be achieved. Not saying this is not possible, but for that to be replicated enough to get your money out of the helmets, it's probably unlikely. So in summary, in raw dollars your return on full-size helmets would likely be better, but as a multiplier of money invested, the minis are likely to give you a better return, based on consumer spending cap, and replicating the sale of the item multiple times.
There is some risk to buying this type of item, Riddell could decide to re-release the helmet and that would plummet the value. They have not done this up to this point, but there is nothing stopping that from happening. Another issue is knock-off helmets. Many people have now started making "custom" aka knock-off unlicensed helmets to replicate these alternative helmets. It does not seem Riddell is policing this, but it is something they may do in the future. Although the quality of the unlicensed helmet may be good, this will cut into the licensed helmet value because for the consumer, it eventually becomes a cost-benefit analysis. Is the extra $300 for the licensed version worth it to me? Be sure to check out our collection of alternative helmets that are available for purchase.
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There are many ways to get autographed batting helmets from your favorite players, but not all situations are ideal for getting a perfect autograph on your collectible baseball batting helmet. In the old days, the only true way to get an autograph was to go to the ballpark and hope your favorite player may make his way over to the stands an sign the batting helmet you brought to the park that day. Today, there are many ways to access your favorite players.
You can still get lucky at the ballpark on game day, or camping outside the player parking lot after the game, but the easier and much more effective way, is to go to a scheduled player appearance.
The advantage of attending a scheduled autograph appearance is that the athlete is sitting down in a controlled environment, and will usually be able to sign the batting helmet in a much more controlled and ideal situation ensuring a nice clean autograph on the bill of the batting helmet. At the ballpark, the player is getting hounded by tons of people in a very condensed space, and these usually leads to small and sloppy autographs on strange spots on the batting helmet.
Bryce Harper Signed Items Available Here (Image Clickable)
Once you have found the athlete appearance that will work for you, now you need to choose a batting helmet to get autographed. The key here is to go with the most appropriate batting helmet for your collection and for the player you are getting the autograph from. Batting helmets for MLB teams are made in both mini and full-size variety.
The initial obvious factor, is buying the team that corresponds to team that the player is on. Having a player sign a batting helmet for a team that he does not play for is definitely not a good decision. The next thing that needs to be considered is the caliber of player.
Unless a player is an all-star caliber player, it is not recommended to get a full-size batting helmet signed by that player. The main issue that you can run into when you have a mediocre to below average player signing a full-size batting helmet is that the helmet could eventually be more valuable WITHOUT the signature than it is with the signature on it. A low caliber player on a full-size batting helmet can essentially ruin the helmet. All-star level players and above are definitely full-size batting helmet caliber, and the value of the item will be greater because full-size batting helmet are considered a premium item in the collectibles world. The next factor you must consider in deciding between full-size or mini batting helmet is how much space you have to display your autographs. Obviously if space is not a factor, full-size is most likely the best option (All-Star level player and above). Minis are convenient because they allow for more to be displayed in a much smaller area.
Buy Mini Batting Helmets Here (Image Clickable)
The other factor that must be considered in the full-size batting helmets is that you can usually buy a full-size with the right or left flap. Left handed hitters use batting helmets with right ear flaps, while right handed hitters use batting helmets with left ear flaps. Small details like this can often increase or decrease the value by 10-20%. Right ear flap is shown on the left. Left ear flap is shown on the right.
Buy Full-Size Batting Helmets Here (Images Clickable)
One thing that is an unwritten rule of getting autographs, is do not skimp on the pens. The pen is one third of the autograph, so making a mistake here is costly (literally). Do not try to get away with using an old pen, or using the pens supplied by the autograph signing promoter. Inside information, the pens provided are the old pens from the previous private signing the promoter had a few weeks ago.
For a batting helmets, you need to purchase a black, blue, metallic silver, or metallic gold FINE POINT Sharpie. Fine point is just thick enough to look bold, but not too thick, autographs that are too thick look sloppy. Color will be dependent on the color of the helmet. Darker colored helmets require metallic silver or metallic gold (matching the team color scheme is best).
Buy Metallic Silver & Gold Fine Point Sharpies (Images Clickable)
Blue or black should be used on lighter colored helmets (again matching the team color scheme is best). Sharpie just the best pen for batting helmets, the signatures come out so crisp and clear. You may wonder why a Sharpie is necessary. It is widely accepted in the Memorabilia industry that Sharpie sign clean (no bleeding) and uninterrupted, the dry quickly, and they fade very little or not at all.
Buy Blue & Black Fine Point Sharpies (Images Clickable)
Just so you know, fading is BAD! Before letting the athlete sign the batting helmet, you need to write with the marker on a piece of paper or something similar to get the ink flowing. Failure to get the ink flowing could result in skips in the autograph, which in turn makes for a bad autograph.
Placement is as important as the pen/marker used. If you get the athlete to sign an odd spot on the helmet, you have effectively destroyed the value of the autographed piece. The ideal spot on the both the mini and the full-size batting helmet is the top of the bill, this is the flattest spot on the helmet, put it allows for a nice symmetrical display after the signature is signed. A nicely placed signature on the top of the batting helmets bill puts a smile on any collectors face.
Buy Autographed Batting Helmets Here (Image Clickable)
So to recap what was discussed above, the keys to a perfect hand-signed authentic signature on a baseball are as follows:
These are the keys to getting a great signature on a batting helmet. If you don't feel like getting the autograph yourself, there are plenty of beautiful signed batting helmets for sale at www.757sc.com/pages/mlb-shop.
]]>Reason 1: You get a rare opportunity to meet and get an autograph from a current NFL Starting Quarterback, and a Pro Bowler at that! It has been at least 10 years since such an opportunity has come up for the public of the 757 to meet and receive an autograph from a player with these type of credentials.
Reason 2: You will have the opportunity to support a local charitable organization, as well as help a local business. The local charity partner on the event is the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. A portion of the food, drink, power play sales from 1-4 pm in the Sports Lounge of Dave & Buster's Virginia Beach (Signing Venue), will go directly to the scholarship fund!
Reason 3: Create a memorable moment. How many Starting NFL Quarterbacks have you met in your life? We know it will be at least one if you decide to attend the 757 Sports Collectibles Tyrod Taylor Autograph Signing at Dave and Buster's Virginia Beach on 4/3/16.
Reason 4: Make an investment. Autographed memorabilia is not just something to brag about to your friends, they appreciate in value! Before Tom Brady was the starting Quarterback for the New England Patriots, you may have paid $40 (Includes the price of the Mini Helmet) for a Tom Brady Signed Mini Helmet. If you still had that mini helmet today, your mini helmet would be worth more than $1000! That's an appreciation of 25 times, and that will likely only grow! That type of appreciation is almost double the type of return you would have seen from purchasing one share of GOOGLE at it's initial public offering price!
Reason 5: An autograph on any item you want. If you by some chance did run into Tyrod Taylor in public, and were able to get his autograph, what are the chances that you would have any type of item worth autographing with you at the time? Almost zero! A Tyrod Taylor on a napkin is worth a whole lot less than one on at Buffalo Bills Mini Helmet, or a Tyrod Taylor Jersey.
Reason 6: A clean autograph. So you are going to a place where you know Tyrod Taylor will be in attendance, you have your pen ready, your mini helmet ready, you are standing in a group of crazed fans waiting for him to walk by and sign some items. He walks by and is quickly scribbling autographs to 20 people in 15 seconds. When you finally get your autograph home, you notice that it is all over the place, with little resemblance to his actual autograph. Unfortunately sometimes you get what you pay for. Free autographs are rarely very clean.
Reason 7: Autograph Authentication. You have Tom Brady's autograph from 15 years ago, he signed it at Mini Camp, you want to sell it for big bucks now! Good luck, unfortunately; how are you going to prove that is actually his signature? Send it off to a 3rd party authenticator for $150, when it's a 50/50 chance they won't even grade it as "Likely Authentic"? At the 757 Sports Collectibles autograph signings we do autograph authentication right on the spot! Each item signed by our featured athlete can be authenticated by our staff through our top of the line authentication process. We affix our tamper-evident hologram which contains a unique serial number that is synced with our online certificate of authenticity database. This number can be checked via the "Verify Authenticity" tab on www.757sc.com. Once your number is entered, a page will pop-up similar to the picture below. This listing will include all the important information about the piece, so when you go to sell the autograph 10 years down the road, you can pull this up and PROVE it's authenticity.
Reason 8: Social Media bragging rights. What gets you as many likes a pictures of dogs and babies on social media? PICTURES WITH CELEBRITIES!
Reason 9: Support local business. 757 Sports Collectibles is a local sports collectibles, memorabilia and gift shop located in the Lynnhaven Convenience Center on Virginia Beach Blvd (Across from RK Chevrolet). The exact address is 2868 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23452. 757 Sports Collectibles is always looking to help sports fans find the sports products and gifts they need!
Reason 10: Tyrod Taylor!!!! Last and obviously not least the local legend himself! He has a great reputation, and we do not expect anything less than an amazing, fun event with him. We hope to see everyone Sunday April 3, 2016 2-3 pm at Dave & Buster's Virginia Beach (Lynnhaven Mall). Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact (757)340-4016 or info@757sc.com.
]]>3.) Ryan Getzlaf Anaheim Ducks Reebok Premier Player Jersey - The Captian, and no we are not talking about Morgan. Every hockey team has one, but not every hockey team is in the conference finals looking to get to the Cup! Getzlaf is a natural born leader with tons of skill and effort. There is no better way to cheer on the Ducks this playoffs than wearing a Ryan Getzlaf Anaheim Ducks Jersey. Well, technically there are 2 more in this post...
2.) Anaheim Ducks Mitchell and Ness 2-Tone Basic Logo Snapback Adjustable Hat - This hat brings us back to the Mighty Ducks days. The flying V, the knuckle puck, the triple deke, Goldberg, we could go on forever! Needless to say this hat not only has a great looking color combination, but it's adjustable snapback allows for a perfect fit. Throwback seems to always be in!
1.) Anaheim Ducks Reebok State of Mind T-Shirt - This is a new trend among many teams across the nation. We first saw these type of logos in College sports, now they have made their way to the NHL. This is a fresh take on the typical logo in the middle of the shirt look. This will clearly be the must see at the stadium or the local sports bar where you are watching to game.
Looking for more, or don't agree with our choices? Much more available in our Anaheim Ducks Shop
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There are many ways to get autographed baseballs from your favorite players, but not all situations are ideal for getting a perfect autograph on your collectible baseball. In the old days, the only true way to get an autograph was to go to the ball park and hope your favorite player may make his way over to the stands an sign the baseball you brought to the park that day. Today, there are many ways to access your favorite players.
Once you have found the athlete appearance that will work for you, now you need to choose a baseball to get autographed. The key here is not to go "the cheap route." Sure you can find a used baseball in your room, or in your parents attic, but this will really ruin the overall value of the collectible piece you are spending your valuable time finding.
The key is to buy the exact type of ball they play with on the field. You have to find the Rawlings Official Major League Baseball. Anything else is frowned upon in the collectible community. The worst thing to buy is the cheap plastic baseball that say Official League on it. Not only does is sign badly, but the ink fades quickly on this surface. The cowhide of this Official Major League Baseball ensure a nice surface for the signature as well as holding the autograph fade-free for a much longer period of time.
One thing that is an unwritten rule of getting autographs, is do not skimp on the pens. The pen is one third of the autograph, so making a mistake here is costly (literally). Do not try to get away with using an old pen, or using the pens supplied by the autograph signing promoter. Inside information, the pens provided are the old pens from the previous private signing the promoter had a few weeks ago.
For a baseball, you need to purchase a Bic Round Stic Blue Pen. This is just the best pen for baseballs, the signatures come out so crisp and clear. You may wonder why a blue pen is necessary. It is widely excepted in the Memorabilia industry that blue pen fades slower than any other color.
Just so you know, fading is BAD! Before letting the athlete sign the baseball, you need to write with the pen on a piece of paper or something similar to get the ink flowing. Failure to get the ink flowing could result in skips in the autograph, which in turn makes for a bad autograph.
So to recap what was discussed above, the keys to a perfect hand-signed authentic signature on a baseball are as follows:
These are the keys to getting a great signature on a baseball. If you don't feel like getting the autograph yourself, there are plenty of beatiful signed baseballs for sale at www.757sc.com/pages/mlb-shop.
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