Highlights Archives
Authenticating Sports Memorabilia: How it's Done
Is it real? What is it worth? For the casual hobbyist or serious collector of any major sports memorabilia, these questions are inevitably asked, and the answers are not always easy to discern. What a thrill it would be to know that the item in question is indeed the "real McCoy" — that it was really used in a game by a favorite player or team, and that your hero actually held and autographed it. The item's monetary value may be crucial information or it may be unimportant compared to the sentimental value it holds. Then again, maybe the item is of the "dime a dozen" variety or cannot be authenticated. How do you find out? Sadly, some private collectors learn that items are found to be fakes after it's too late. As an example, in the section of uniform shown above, purportedly worn by legendary right-handed slugger Jimmie Foxx, the stitching reveals its lack of authenticity.
 Two views of a fake baseball bat purported to have been used by early baseball standout Honus Wagner Sports memorabilia experts Troy Kinunen and Dave Bushing of Memorabilia Evaluation and Research Services (MEARS) are in the business of answering such questions. Both began collecting at an early age, became experts along the way, and have created reference guides to serve the hobby industry. Founding MEARS in 2005 has enabled them to reach the next generation of collectors. In the sports memorabilia industry, MEARS is an Internet-based organization serving both individual collectors and select auction houses. MEARS provides a wealth of reference information as well as the most current hobby news in the industry. Visit their Web site, which states, "Over the years, [Kinunen and Bushing] have authenticated literally thousands of game-used items."
Kinunen and Bushing will present a sports memorabilia seminar on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, at the Wisconsin Historical Museum on Madison's Capitol Square. Suggested donation is $2 per person. Don't miss this chance to learn more about the MEARS perspective, criteria for evaluation, and the increasingly more scientific processes used for identifying, authenticating and appraising sports memorabilia. From 5 to 5:45 p.m., view the World Series Wisconsin exhibition. From 5:45 to 7:30 p.m., hear Bushing and Kinunen discuss some items in the exhibit and what went into the authentication of those and other items.
Some people collect just for fun or maybe received a collection handed down from a relative. Others collect with the intention of trading or selling to other collectors. Regardless of whether your collection fits in a shoe box or takes up several rooms in your house, the seminar will help you become a more savvy collector.
:: Posted August 8, 2007
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