In the hyper lucrative market of sports memorabilia, it's logical to assume that fraud would exist. Several recent news stories have brought this to light and should make any memorabilia collector cautious about that next purchase.

Yesterday, news broke that Eli Manning was complicit in fraudulently selling "game used" jerseys and helmets. This story is extra concerning, due to the fact Eli works with one of the most trusted memorabilia brands - Steiner Sports. In the sports memorabilia market, "game used" materials are the most valuable due to their limited availability. The infamous Tom Brady stolen Super Bowl jersey was valued at over $500,000! 

Earlier in the week another story broke about websites selling counterfeit sports gear. This news story highlights the number of fraudulent websites selling fake jerseys, purporting to be authentic player jerseys. When buying jerseys and other materials, be sure you are buying from a reputable company that provide the Certificate of Authentication!

At SportsDisplays, we don't buy or sell sports memorabilia, rather we simply provide the framing service to our customers that provide their merchandise. However, we are often asked about the validity of the memorabilia and "trusted brands" to purchase materials. For a marketplace already walking a fine line on the trustworthiness scale, these stories are very damaging!

Be very careful when buying merchandise on the open market. First and foremost ensure there is a Certificate of Authentication from a trusted brand - JSA, PSA, Fanatics, Steiner, etc. Second, be sure the company you are buying from is reputable - Sports Memorabilia, Steiner, Mill Creek, etc. Finally, if it feels too good to be true, it probably is! Don't be shy about questioning the validity of the product.