Investing in football memorabilia is not really about ‘investment’ in the classic sense where you pay ‘x’ for a share in a listed company and expect to generate a return of ‘y’ when it gets sold at a later date.
However, football memorabilia is beginning to attract some serious money and could be considered a genuine alternative investment, especially at the more rarefied end like acquiring a FA Cup final winner’s medal.
There are enough dealers, auction houses and other online sales platforms to suggest there is an active trading market for buyers and sellers and that brings an increasing amount of media coverage which helps first time investors understand the market.
What’s the appeal?
It is probably not too difficult to understand the appeal of collecting football memorabilia. Football is a truly global sport with very committed fans, most of whom were introduced to the game at a very young age.
So, collectors will usually have a deep, lifelong obsession with all things football related and what better way to express that interest than spending money on the thing you love.
While the auction price achieved for Pele’s 1970 World Cup final winners’ medal of £346,000, is probably beyond the reach of the average football fan, there is enough interest in other cup winning medals or signed shirts of footballing legends or rare FA Cup final programmes to attract more affordable sums of money for the sheer joy of owning a piece of football history.
Collectors buy for many reasons but usually what drives their interest, at least initially, is a strong affinity to the football club they have supported throughout their lives. Acquiring the signed shirt of a legendary player worn during a memorable game reinforces the bond with the club and provides a talking point when meeting up with other fans.
That shirt, or medal or rare match day programme becomes a source of pleasure and enjoyment, something unique that can be passed on or gifted to another family member or eventually sold back on to the market to another fan or collector (for a small profit perhaps!). However, once that collectors spark is ignited then the world of football memorabilia really opens up.
Building a collection
There are as many ways of building a collection of football memorabilia as there are match day balls used on an average Saturday afternoon in the Football League. Identifying a theme that works with your passion or interest and how much you can afford to spend is probably a very good starting point.
For some, it could be something as relatively straightforward as acquiring a full set of the match day programmes for your favourite team in the year you were born; for others it might be acquiring any merchandise containing the original signature of a leading Premier League player.
It may be that you played in goals (as I did) when you were younger and decide that you want to track down the goalkeeping gloves used and signed by ‘keepers from the more established European clubs.
Part of the experience could be in the fun in coming up with a theme that provides an interesting (but hopefully realistic and affordable) challenge.
Rules of buying
Wherever you decide your interest lies there are some basic rules that I recommend you should always follow:
- Only buy or sell through long established, reputable merchants such as the National Football Museum or auction houses like Graham Budd.
- Request valid Certificates of Authenticity and any supporting paperwork (the original and /or secondary invoice)
- Establish the ownership history and provenance if possible
- If the price indicated is too good to be true then check whether the item is stolen or counterfeit
- Check shipping and returns policies to ensure your item is properly insured and can be unconditionally returned
- Buying at auction can be competitive and can lead to higher price paid. Consider items that fail to reach reserve price and negotiate separately
- Pay using your credit card, if possible, as purchases greater than £100 are usually protected by the credit card company
- Always remember that any consumer buying from a retailer any time after 1st October 2015 is protected under the Consumer Rights Act and can return the item within 30 days
- Also, any item that is discovered to be counterfeit should be reported to your local Trading Standards office.
The right price
Unlike buying or selling shares where the price of a share is readily available online, determining what price you pay for your piece of football memorabilia or how much it is worth should you decide to sell is not as straightforward. There is no football memorabilia index showing the rise and fall in prices over a period of time.
The obvious problem of buying or selling a one-off or limited-edition piece of memorabilia is that getting a comparative price quote will be very difficult. What I would suggest is that you browse through price guide catalogues from previous auctions to get a ‘feel’ for whether the price indicated seems sensible.
Alternatively, you could call a valuation expert in an auction house and simply ask them what they think; they may be happy to oblige especially if they can persuade you to eventually sell it on through them.
Depending on the value of the item, there is also an online company which claims to be “The World’s No. 1 Valuation Site” and for a small fee they will provide you with an expert valuation. Obtaining an independent valuation should also reassure any potential buyer; and may even act as the tipping point between them buying or not buying as they may see the valuation as a form of price guarantee.
Whatever price you buy or sell at, do not simply accept the first offer and always try to negotiate.
Anything else to think about?
One final issue; you could, whether be accident or design end up with quite a valuable collection of football memorabilia. Therefore, consideration should be given as to how you store and secure your collection and whether you need additional insurance cover on your household contents policy (you probably do).
Following on from that insurance point, you should also keep receipts, photos and descriptions etc of any item of value in your collection in the event that you should ever need to make a claim on the policy.
If you do find yourself trading items of football memorabilia in greater volumes and with increasing frequency (and at a profit) then you may want to consider turning your hobby into a business.
Further information
It is worth seeking out any football memorabilia forums or message boards where you can seek advice or guidance on your hobby (investment) or be alerted to any fakes or stolen items in circulation.
To explore other hobby investment ideas please click here.
