Phoenix, Ariz. (KNXV) — Everywhere you look inside the Auction of Champions warehouse in Phoenix, Arizona, sports history is for sale.
“That is Aaron Judge’s autograph,” said co-owner Alex Kranz. “Pretty incredible Babe Ruth’s hands were on this ball. You can see he signed it right there.”
Many will pay whatever it takes for a piece of their favorite athletes. An estimated $12 billion to $24 billion was spent on memorabilia last year alone.
“You know the stuff you’re buying for your 10-year-old kid, it could be just a player of today, a signed photo for $50 or something like that, but when you get into a game-used Hank Aaron jersey, you’re looking at hundreds of thousands (of dollars) so it’s all over the board,” said Kranz.
In February, a Kobe Bryant jersey, worn during his only MVP season, is expected to fetch as much as $7 million.
While the price of an item can soar — making for a nice investment or just a great conversation starter — it’s important to know what you’re buying is real.
“The main thing in this industry is authenticity, [because] there’s a lot of forgeries out there,” said Kranz.
Third-party authenticators like PSA and JSA are essential to making sure the item is not fake.
When it says it comes with a certificate of authenticity, Kranz said customers should ask whether it can be verified.
“You don’t want to pay $500 for a Mickey Mantle autographed baseball to find out a year later it’s not authentic,” said Kranz.
With so…
