How do I get a piece a sports merchandise appraised?
Question:I have a baseball signed by all of the members of the Detroit Tigers, from some years back (not dated), and I would like to know what it is worth. How do I go about this? Is there a company that will do this? In my area (48009)? Any info will help.
Answers:
What does WHIP stand for in baseball?
it's kidn of tricky...you can try taking it to a local card shop or comic book store...they can usually tell you what something is worth or direct you to somebody who can...another place you may want to check is a sports memorabilia convention...check the local papers to see when one may be comming to your area... the problem is valuation is something of a scam in the collectibles business. An item is worth whatever someone will pay.People want collectibles, and collectors want collectibles with a medium to uncontrollable passion. Dealers invent all kinds of rationalizations for collecting. One is the "it's an investment" argument. For this to work, there must be at least the illusion of consistent valuations. Many collectors, especially novice collectors, lean on valuation guides as they rationalize their collecting as the accumulation of value. If the book says $200 and they can pay $150, they feel like they have laid up $50 or at least made a good bargain.
I'd guess that there are a few collectibles that have truly consistent valuations. Gold bars, for example. Coins. A perfect specimen is a perfect specimen. Once you introduce something like the fact that some guys like the Tigers better than other guys do, however, there can be no consistent value.
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