Do you have a passion for sports? Some people think that sports fan means sports fanatic! Perhaps you fall into the fanatic category if game time signifies painting your face and belly, but for the many of us it merely means loving our team and all its players present and past. But have you ever considered being a collector? Fundamentals of Sports Collecting: Sports Memorabilia – An item that is directly affiliated with an athlete, team, sporting event or sporting venue. These could include athletic wear worn by the athlete, autographed pictures, sports equipment, banners, event programs/tickets, and much more. Some examples of favorite sports memorabilia include: Football Memorabilia – autographed jerseys, pictures, autographed helmets/mini-helmets and signed footballs. Hockey Memorabilia – Signed jerseys, photos, Signed pucks and sticks. Baseball Memorabilia – autographed baseballs, photos, cards, bats, gloves, helmets, jerseys. Basketball Memorabilia – autographed jerseys, photographs, Signed basketballs, Golf Memorabilia – autographed golf balls and photographs. Soccer Memorabilia – autographed jerseys, soccer balls and autographed pictures. Tennis Memorabilia – autographed photos, tennis balls, tennis shorts and shoes. Boxing Memorabilia – Signed boxing gloves, trunks, posters and photos. Beginning your Collection: Shopping for your collection – Starting a sports collection can be very exciting. However, buying out of emotion can run you into lots of trouble. More than 70% of signed memorabilia purchased online and in stores is not authentic. In fact a former NFL superstar spent millions of dollars to create a state of the art authentication process to protect his name and brand.Here are a few tips to ensure you get the real thing: Be sure to purchase your memorabilia from a respected source like Authentic Sports Collectibles.info Do you have a passion for sports? Many people imagine that sports fan means sports fanatic! Perhaps you fall into the fanatic category if game time means painting your face and belly, but for the rest of us it merely means loving our team and all its players present and past. But have you ever considered being a collector?