With the recent increase in silent auctions, charity events need to come up with creative ways to raise money. One of the simplest ways to raise money is by selling sports memorabilia. Guests can place bids to purchase their favorite sports memorabilia.
One of the most famous sports in the world is baseball. Baseball memorabilia includes signed shirts, baseball caps, baseball bats, team trophies, and player autographs. These baseball memorabilia are in high demand and are a great way to raise money in silent auctions.
With this high demand for baseball memorabilia, there arises an issue of fraud. Here is a detailed guide that will help you describe your authentic baseball memorabilia.
Acquire a certificate of authenticity
With the many cases of fraud that happen in silent auctions, there needs to be a way to assure guests and bidders in an auction that the items they are bidding for are genuine and original.
One of the best ways to assure guests in a silent auction is through a certificate of authenticity. This certification assures bidders in an auction that the baseball memorabilia they purchase is genuine. You can get a certificate of authenticity in two ways:
- When a baseball team or a baseball player donates baseball memorabilia to your silent baseball memorabilia auction, you can ask for a certificate of authentication. The certificate could come with an official team seal or stamp if a team donated the memorabilia. If a player donated the memorabilia, the certificate should have his signature.
- If a baseball item was purchased online or from a collector, you should take it to a registered authenticator. The authenticator will inspect the item and award a certificate of authenticity.
This step may cost you some extra money, but, in the end, it may increase the value of baseball memorabilia. It will also assure guests in a silent auction that all items are genuine.
Carefully name and describe the item.
When describing baseball memorabilia for a silent auction, you must carefully describe and name them. Guests need to have some more information about an item. This extra information will clear any doubts they may have about how genuine an object is.
There are several things to consider when naming baseball memorabilia. They include:
- Was the item used in a game or worn by a player? An item, for example, a baseball bat or a player jersey worn during a game, is an original item which means it is authentic. You should also note when the item was used in a game and what type of game it was. Items used on finals or big games typically have a higher value than items used in regular games.
- Is the item signed? – if the baseball item came from a player, having their signature increases the item’s value and confirms its authenticity. If the item is intended for online sports memorabilia auctions, you need to take a picture of the signature and post it along the item.
- Does the item have an authenticity certificate? As stated above, an original donated item should have a certificate of authenticity. If the certificate is available, it is essential to include that information in a baseball memorabilia auction.
- Is the item real or a replica? Is the item on display at an auction a real item that a baseball team uses, or is it a replica of the original? You need to include this information when naming baseball memorabilia. For example, “This is an original New York Yankees baseball shirt for the 2022/2023 season.”
- Include some extra background information about an item. For example, you can include the player’s name who used an item. You can also have information on when the item was used and in which stadium.
Some items, especially for collectors, can be deemed priceless. After acquiring baseball memorabilia, you can do some research online, and you can be able to estimate the market value of an item on your own. If you have any difficulties in deciding the price of an item, you can contact registered authenticators for an appraisal of the item. This is important because it confirms the authenticity of an item.
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