Why You Should Collect Sports Programs
By Cami Berardi
Why should you collect current or vintage sports programs or game used tickets from various sporting events? To some that is the obvious question. The answer is very simple really collecting the game used tickets or stubs gives the fan/collector a brush with history even if you were not there, it is a distinct memory of a particular game or moment in time. When you collect a program from a sporting event it takes you, the collector further in depth to the particulars of the game or event, you get a deeper appreciation for what occurred during that game.
Sports programs, especially vintage programs offer you a piece of history. It give you the reader an extensive look into the past show cased through photos, text, advertising, the scoring pages, and even the cover art, giving the collector a definite feel for that era. If you look at a program from say the 1950s you can actually get an idea for what it must have been like to be at that game sitting in the stands cheering your team on. Even though collecting an item like sports trading cards is great and a lot of fun, it does not give you the same feeling of nostalgia like the one you get when holding a program.
You could collect a program from any sporting event that you liked, but one of the most popular series to collect it Americas favourite past time, baseball and in particular the World Series, to no great surprise. As with anything else vintage is the way to go, but as with everything else the price tag can also be extremely high depending on the piece you are considering. Programs which date back to the inaugural World Series in 1903 and some other examples of very early programs are super scarce and are hard to get a hold of in any condition, let alone great condition. Also games which noted bench marks in the games history carry with them large price tags if available. In recent times, a Heritage Sports Collectibles auction saw an astounding $14,340 dollars being spent on a Frank "Home Run" Baker 1910 Chicago program! Now those are big bucks that few of us regular collectors have hanging around in our back pockets.
Another set that that has caught on in terms of collecting a series is the All-Star game programs. These are usually easier to collect in general as compared to the World Series programs, and cheaper. The white whale of this lot though is 1942 All-Star program due the fact that America was at war at the time, and the war time paper drives had an effect on this. This being as it may, it has affected the price of the program in todays' market keeping it on the higher side, if you can even find one.
As I have stated before you can collect which ever sport appeals to you, whether that is boxing or hockey or even football. There have been some auctions that have seen sets of complete football Super Bowl series programs go for anywhere from $2000-$3000 conservatively. I am not aware of any current price guides available for the collector to use as a guide when considering purchase of game used sports programs. The only thing I can suggest is to do your homework, research the item and the market place to determine fair market value of the item you are intending on purchasing for your collection. Have fun with what ever you decide to collect, and remember do it for the passion and love or the collection, not with the idea of investing for monetary gains, if you do that it may leave you disappointed and out of pocket.
Cami Berardi is a sports memorabilia hobbiest, and collector. She enjoys not only collecting but writing and researching the hobby and industry. You can see more of Cami's dealings at: http://www.youtube.com/patriotsfangirl12
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