How to Avoid Buying Fake Sports Memorabilia

Millions of dollars in fake sports memorabilia are sold each year through online and traditional stores. Newcomers and long-time collectors alike are duped into buying replica jerseys and reprinted autographs. A checklist of authenticating features will help you avoid buying fake sports memorabilia that water down the market for these collectibles.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cotton gloves

1. Gauge the willingness of sellers to communicate about their methods of procurement. A nervous seller who does not want to speak about the history of his sports memorabilia may be peddling illegitimate items.

2. Remain cautious about reprints, prints and copies of signatures to avoid buying fake sports memorabilia. Headshots, posters and cards with legitimate signatures have been reproduced by individuals for years to make money off novice collectors.

3. Research the signatures of your favorite athletes to avoid purchasing fake sports memorabilia. You can observe athletes at signing sessions and look at signature patterns on authentic memorabilia to help you weed out fake autographs.

4. Ask collectors to remove cards and jerseys from their frames to assess authenticity. The reflection and thickness of display glass can distort your view of memorabilia. With the permission of the collector, apply a pair of cotton gloves to feel memorabilia for weight and material type.

5. Call local law enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) when you encounter fake sports memorabilia. You can call the tip line for your regional FBI office to report fraudulent transactions and stop further sales to unwitting consumers (see Resources below).

6. Get in touch with professional authenticators about sports memorabilia that you wish to purchase. eBay has a list of prominent authenticators that can be used to detect fake signatures, reprinted photos and other fraudulent memorabilia (see Resources below).

7. Conduct your own investigation into the background of a seller before you buy sports memorabilia. Online forums, auction websites and fan websites are filled with consumers willing to point out fraudulent memorabilia and unscrupulous sellers.

8. Confirm the correct location, date and time for memorabilia that was supposed to have been used in specific games. Super Bowl footballs, All-Star Game jerseys and World Series programs have accurate information that can be verified with sports almanacs.

Tips & Warnings

• Review other sports memorabilia offered by a seller to determine the legitimacy of his entire collection. A single baseball card that has a fake signature may reveal multiple products that lack authentication. Take notes on these products to warn other collectors who plan on working with this collector.

Resources

• FBI national map of state offices
• eBay list of prominent authenticating companies

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on 4/28/2008 The first step is knowing a good vendor with good prices. Try www.number1sports.com. You will probably find what you are looking for and for a great price.